O  U  ^  1 N  LAN  D  3  E Av:^ 

7^e/r  SHIP  PING  ci^d 
C  O  M  M  E  IL  C  E  ^J^r— 
T H  RE E  CENT  U  R.  I  E  3 
Bx>   J  AM  E%S    C,  M  I  L  L  3 

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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 


COMMODORE  BYRON  MCCANDLESS 


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OUR    INLAND    SEAS 


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OUR  INLAND  SEAS 

THEIR  SHIPPING  &  COMMERCE 
FOR  THREE   CENTURIES 


BY 

JAMES  COOKE  MILLS 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    FROM    PHOTOGRAPHS 
AND    MAPS    AND    DRAWINGS 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO. 

1910 


Copyright 

A.   C.   McClurg  &  Co. 

1910 

Published  October  15,  1910 


THE    UNIVERSITY    PRHSS,   CAMBRIDGn,    U.S.A. 


HE 


r 


TO 

THE  STURDY  MARINERS  OF  THE  FRESH 

WATER    SEAS    WHO,    IN    FAIR 

WEATHER   AND    FOUL,    ARE 

EVER    ON     THEIR 

POST   OF  DUTY 


PREFACE 

FROM  time  immemorial,  through  all  stages  of  the 
world's  history,  the  natural  waterways  of  the  earth 
have  been  the  well-chosen  routes  of  travel  by  all  races  of 
men.  Over  the  vast  expanse  of  the  high  seas  and  through 
the  limited  confines  of  inland  waters,  the  commerce  of 
nations  has  moved  and  has  increased  in  volume  with  the 
passing  centuries.  I  n  the  pioneer  days  of  America,  the  rich 
land  of  vegetation  and  underground  treasure,  the  lakes 
and  streams  were  the  positive  guides  set  by  the 
Creator  of  the  Universe  for  the  stranger  in  the  wilderness. 
Into  the  very  depths  of  the  pathless  forest  the  early 
explorers  pushed  their  way  in  the  crude  but  buoyant 
craft  of  the  natives,  which  were  paddled  or  poled  against 
the  swift  current.  Even  before  the  settlements  which 
followed  along  the  shores  of  the  lakes  had  increased  in 
number  and  grown  to  trading-posts  of  some  importance, 
the  hardy  forerunners  of  empire  were  eager  for  new 
adventures  and  new  lands  to  conquer.  By  following  the 
natural  watercourses  they  plunged  still  further  into  the 
interior  of  the  dense  forest;  and  thus  in  time,  new  ham- 
lets sprang  up  along  the  navigable  streams. 

When  the  land  began  to  show  its  increase  and  Indian 
trade  was  fostered,  the  lakes  and  rivers  were  the  natural 
highways  of  communication  with  the  outside  world,  and 
upon  their  waters  were  carried  the  rich  products  of  the 
wilds.  On  the  return  trips  the  light,  hobbling  canoes 
brought  the  goods  and  trinkets  of  civilization  for  barter 
with  the  natives.  With  increasing  trade  there  appeared 
larger  and  beamier  boats,  much  more  stable,  to  take 
the  place  of  the  Indian  canoe;  and  in  time  the  small 
sailing  craft  became  the  economic  mode  of  conveyance. 


Vlll 


PREFACE 


Finally  the  steamboat  appeared  and,  with  all  its  fussing 
and  fuming  and  boiler  explosions,  was  soon  the  popular 
means  of  travel.  There  was  some  degree  of  certainty  in 
its  movements,  as  it  was  less  dependent  upon  wind  and 
wave. 

When  the  tide  of  immigration  set  in  about  eighty  years 
ago,  there  followed  a  rapid  development  of  the  material 
resources  of  the  new  land;  and  the  expanse  of  the  lakes 
and  the  connecting  water  highways  became  arteries  of  an 
extensive  commerce.  Shipbuilding  was  greatly  stimulated, 
and  the  steam  tonnage  was  of  such  size  and  the  cabin 
accommodations  for  the  comfort  and  pleasure  of  passen- 
gers so  well  provided,  that  travel  on  the  lakes  was  no 
longer  regarded  as  a  hardship  to  be  avoided  if  other 
means  were  at  hand.  The  increased  size  of  the  steam- 
boats and  the  march  of  progress  toward  the  West  brought 
about  demands  for  deeper  channels,  which  were  met  by 
digging  out  the  navigable  streams  and  the  canalization  of 
narrow  and  shallow  rivers.  The  principal  ports  on  the 
lakes  were  made  safe  harbors  of  refuge,  lighthouses  and 
other  beacons  were  established  to  mark  dangerous  reefs 
and  narrow  channels;  and,  in  more  recent  years,  the 
life-saving  service  and  the  lake  survey  have  been  added  as 
further  safeguards  to  life  and  treasure. 

As  years  passed,  excursions  on  the  lakes  became  popular 
and  of  daily  occurrence  from  the  larger  ports  during  the 
summer  months,  and  tourist  travel  throughout  the  fresh- 
water seas  was  inaugurated.  There  has  been,  and  is 
still,  a  mighty  wave  of  expansion,  impelled  by  a  spirit  of 
optimism,  sweeping  over  the  Great  Lakes  region;  com- 
merce continues  to  grow  apace;  and,  despite  the  extension 
of  railroads  paralleling  every  marine  highway,  with  a 
diversion  of  a  portion  of  the  lake  traffic  to  the  rail  routes, 
the  water-borne  commerce  has  increased  in  volume  and 
the  vessel  interests  have  prospered. 

The  main  object  of  improving  the  waterways  of  Amer- 
ica, and  thus  adding  to  transportation  facilities,  is  an  eco- 


PREFACE 


IX 


nomic  one.  Man  in  search  of  fortune  always  seeks  the 
easiest  modes  of  travel,  along  the  lines  of  least  resistance, 
and  those  offering  the  minimum  expenditure  of  human 
energy.  It  may  sooner  bring  about  the  object  of  his  life. 
That  which  affects  a  saving  to  him  in  cost  of  freights 
is  surely  an  economic  measure  for  the  conservation  of 
the  resources  of  the  land  and  adds  to  the  wealth  of  the 
nation.  To  show  the  development  of  the  Great  Lakes 
marine,  from  the  Indian  canoe  to  the  great  modern  levi- 
athans, and  the  intimate  relation  it  bears  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  whole  country  and  the  contentment  of  millions 
of  people,  is  the  purpose  of  the  story  contained  in  the 
following  pages. 

J.  C.  M. 

Saginaw,   Mich, 

>/j,  igio 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 
I     The    Origin,  Discovery,  and    Magnitude   of  the 

Great  Lakes 17 

II     Earliest  Navigation 27 

III  Le  Griffon^  the  First  Sailing  Vessel 36 

IV  The  Launch  and  Voyage  of  Le  Griffon       ...  50 
V     Navigation  from  1680  to  the  War  of  1812     .      .  62 

VI    The  Beginning  of  Steam  Navigation      ....  75 
VII     T\\.Q  IValk-in-the-Water — Pioneer  Steamboat       .  89 
VIII     The  Early  Days  of  Steam  Navigation    .     .      .      .103 
IX    The  Rapid  Growth  of  the  Lakes  Shipping       .      .  114 
X    The  Advent  of  the  Screw  Propeller  —  The  Com- 
merce of  Lake  Superior        126 

XI     Prosperous  Times  for  the  Lake  Marine      .     .      .  138 

XII     The  Beginning  of  Railroad  Competition      .      .      .  151 

XIII  The  United  States  Gunboat   Wolverine^  the  First 

Iron-hulled  Vessel 164 

XIV  From  Wood  to  Iron 177 

XV     The  River  Ferries  from  Hand  to  Steam      .      .      .  191 

XVI     The  Railway  Transports 203 

XVII     The  Era  of  Steel  and  the  Package  Freighters        .  216 

XVIII     The  Greyhounds  of  the  Unsalted  Seas  ....  231 

XIX    The  Merchant  Marine  of  Canada 247 

XX     The  Building  of  a  Lake  Freighter 265 


xii  CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 
XXI    The  Queen  of  the  World's  Lake  Craft,  the  City 

of  Cleveland 278 

XXII     The  Six-Hundred-Foot  Ore  and  Grain  Carriers   .  293 

XXIII  For  the  Freedom  of  the  Sea 309 

XXIV  Wrecking    and   Fire   Tugs,   the    Navy   Training 

Ships,  and  the  Mail  Boat 327 

XXV     Economics  of  Lake  Navigation 346 

Index 363 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 
Le  Griffon^  first  sailing  vessel  on   Great  Lakes,  built  by 

La  Salle,  1679 Frontispiece 

A  map  of  the  country  of  the  Five  Nations,  belonging  to 
the  Province  of  New  York  ;  and  of  the  lakes  near 
which   the    nations  of   far   Indians  live,  with   part  of 

Canada 24 

Scene  in  the  Thousand  Islands 25 

Steamers    Michigan^    United   States^   and    Erie^  and    sailing 

vessels,  in  Detroit  River 40 

The  Illinois^  built  in  1837-38 41 

The  Mayflower 64 

The  Atlantic 64 

The  Sunbeam 65 

Detroit  in  1820 90 

The  wreck  of  the  IValk-in-the-JVater 9 1 

The  Planet 116 

The  Co7net I17 

Facsimile  of  original  drawing  by  John  Ericsson  of  double 
engine  for  the  propeller  Vandalia^  the  first  screw- 
propelled  steamer  on  the  lakes,  built  in  1841       .      .      .  128 

The  Northwest 129 

"  Rabbit  "  towing  schooner  on  St.  Clair  River    ....  146 

The  R.  N.  Rice 146 

Steamer  Rapids  King^  in  Lachine  Rapids 147 

Gunboat  Wolverine^  in  present-day  trim 166 

The  old  Fessenden^  U.  S.  Revenue  Cutter 167 


xiv  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 
Scenes  on   board    the    Wolverine:    Weighing  anchor  "all 

hands  to  "  —  Basking  in  the  sunshine 174 

Scenes  on  board  the  Wolver'tyie :    Bluejackets  —  Sub-calibre 

gun  practice 175 

"Tows" 186 

A  "Rabbit" 187 

Streaming  water-guns 194 

Old  club  at  St.  Clair  Flats 195 

Steamer  Tashmoo 195 

Car  transport  Detroit  drawing  out  of  slip 206 

Ferry  Sainte  Marie ^  Straits  of  Mackinac 207 

Car  transport  Transfer  at  dock 207 

The  Christopher  Columbus 222 

The  Nashville 223 

The  North  West 232 

The  'J.  Pierpont  Morgan 233 

Passenger  steamer  City  of  the  Straits  in  dry  dock  at  Detroit 

dockyard 233 

Theodore  Roosevelt^  excursion  steamer 242 

The  Saranac 243 

A  "  Pig,"  or  Whaleback 243 

Quebec,  as  seen  from  Levis 250 

Trinity  Rock,  Saguenay  River 251 

North  West  locking  through  Sault  Ste.  Marie       ....  260 

Fishing  below  the  locks,  Sault  Ste.  Marie 261 

Boilers  waiting  to  be  installed  in  the  City  of  Cleveland  .  .  268 
The    pillow    blocks    of   the    big    engine,  which   hold  the 

bearings   for  the  main   shaft 269 

The  Charles  Weston  one  minute  before  launch     ....  274 

l^he  launch 274 

Fhc  power  house,  Soo  locks 275 

Under  the  stern  of  the  Charles  Weston  just  before  launching  275 

City  of  Cleveland 280 

Steamer  Western  States 281 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xv 

Page 

In  the  upper  Weitzel  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River  Canal     .      .  290 

Freighters  entering  the  Poe  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River  Canal  290 
A   Blockade   in    Detroit    River   above   Ballard's   Reef — a 

freighter  aground  in  the  narrow  channel 291 

The  Wissahickon 291 

Scene  in  construction  of  steel  freighter  Daniel  "J.  Morrell^ 

about  forty  days  after  laying  of  first  keel  plate    .      .      .  300 
The  hull  of  a  steel  freighter  about  sixty  days  after  begin- 
ning of  construction 300 

View   in   shop  of  shipyard,  showing  the  huge  punch  and 

shears 301 

Light  at  entrance  to  ship  canal,  Lake  St.  Clair    .      .      .     .  312 

Steamer  passing  the  lighthouse 312 

On  the  St.  Clair  River 313 

St.  Clair  Flats 313 

Locking  down,  Poe  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River 328 

Detail  of  lock  gates,  Weitzel  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River  .     .  328 

Steam  barge  entering  Weitzel  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River  Canal  329 

The  Greyhound 329 

Entering  the  locks,  Sault  Ste.  Marie 340 

Fast  express  and  excursion  steamers  on  the  Detroit  water 

front 341 

Steel  ship  Major 352 

Mauch  Chunky  largest  package  freighter  on  Great  Lakes    .  352 

The  Daniel  jf.  Morrell  five  minutes  before  launch    .      .      .  353 

The  'Juniata 353 


OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

THEIR  SHIPPING  AND  COMMERCE 
FOR  THREE  CENTURIES 

CHAPTER    I 

THE  ORIGIN,  DISCOVERY,  AND  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE 
GREAT  LAKES 

Geological  Formations  —  The  Glaciers  —  Lake  Iroquois  —  Discov- 
erers OF  THE  Lakes  —  Lake  Erie  Last  of  All  —  Reasons  for  This  — 
Early  Maps  of  the  Region  —  Geographic  Locations  of  the  Fresh- 
Water  Seas  —  Drainage  Basin  —  Volume  of  Lakes  —  Superimposed 
ON  Eastern  States  —  Waters  of  Lake  Superior  —  Levels  and  Area. 

THE  last  touch  in  the  completion  of  the  North 
American  continent  was  the  creation  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  they  constitute  its  greatest  physical  feature. 
Of  the  ancient  geologic  conditions  it  is  believed  that, 
"  in  very  olden  times  the  lake  district  formed  a  great 
plateau  at  a  considerable  altitude  above  the  sea,  with 
some  bordering  mountains  and  high  lands.  It  was  high 
enough  to  permit  the  excavation  of  deep  valleys,  many  of 
which  have  long  since  been  filled  up  with  sand  and  drift, 
and  now  lie  beneath  the  lake  waters.  The  sea  was  then 
farther  distant  from  the  present  lake  region  than  now." 

The  entire  north  country  is  full  of  stirring  evidences 
of  Nature's  handiwork,  and  the  geological  history  of  a 
vast  and  rich  territory  has  been  plainly  written  for  all 
generations.  By  certain  and  definite  indications  It  has 
been  determined  that  the  whole  lake  region  was  formed 
thousands  of  years  ago  by  a  series  of  great  glaciers,  grind- 
ing and  crunching  their  way,  ever  so  slowly,  from  beyond 


i8  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

the  Arctic  Circle.  What  was  going  on  during  a  pre- 
historic period  has  had  very  much  to  do  with  the  develop- 
ment of  Middle  America,  and  what  is  going  on  there  to- 
day. The  huge  masses  of  ice,  with  their  moraines  loaded 
down  with  huge  bowlders  and  soil  from  the  distant  north, 
gouged  out  deep  valleys,  the  largest  of  which  now  form 
the  beds  of  the  Great  Lakes. 

By  the  slow  process  of  melting  in  the  changing  climate 
from  frigid  to  temperate,  the  glaciers  eventually  disap- 
peared, and  the  waters  spread  over  these  valleys,  entirely 
filling  them.  The  numerous  lakes  thus  created  finally 
overflowed,  and  their  waters  uniting  formed  a  vast  inland 
sea,  which  has  been  named  Lake  Iroquois.  This  was 
something  like  thirty-five  thousand  years  ago,  when  the 
great  body  of  water  spread  over  the  whole  lake  region. 
The  southern  shore  cliffs  and  beaches  can  be  traced  to-day 
at  many  places  along  an  Inland  ridge  running  east  and 
west  through  Ohio  and  Indiana,  while  in  New  York  State 
the  tracings  extend  as  far  east  as  Rome. 

The  Niagara  escarpment,  which  formed  a  portion  of  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Iroquois  for  about  one  hundred 
miles,  is  the  most  prominent  demarcation  of  the  glaciers 
in  that  section.  It  mutely  testifies  to  the  overwhelming 
forces  of  Nature  which  wrought  such  changes  in  the 
crust  of  the  continent.  The  surface  of  Lake  Iroquois  was 
from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred  feet  above  the  present 
level  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  was  impounded  by  a  gigantic 
ice  jam  at  some  point  down  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  main 
outlet  of  the  lake  during  this  formative  period  was  the 
great  river  fl-owing  southward  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  but 
as  the  northwest  country  gradually  tilted,  the  water  nat- 
urally overflowed  to  the  east.  This  caused  the  eastern 
end  to  seek  the  outlet  to  the  Atlantic  across  the  country 
which  is  now  the  State  of  New  York.  There  are  plain 
evidences  along  the  Mohawk  River  to  prove  that  that 
stream  was  the  main  channel  of  the  Iroquois  outlet.  It 
is  more  than  probable  that  the  waters  mingled  with  the 


ORIGIN,  DISCOVERY,  MAGNITUDE      19 

ocean  through  the  waterway  civiHzation  has  named  the 
Hudson  River. 

Lake  Iroquois  was  drained  off  some  seventeen  thousand 
years  ago,  at  which  time  the  beach  between  the  Niagara 
escarpment  and  the  present  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  was 
formed.  It  is  from  two  to  seven  miles  wide,  and  is  a 
rich  tract  of  farming  country,  protected  in  a  degree  from 
the  high  winds  by  the  elevated  plateau  at  its  back,  and 
tempered  by  the  waters  of  the  lake. 

The  Great  Lakes  of  America,  which  in  every  sense  may 
properly  be  termed  "  Inland  Seas,"  were  not  discovered 
by  Europeans  during  any  one  voyage  of  conquest;  and 
the  first  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  any  large  bodies  of 
water  on  the  continent  came  fully  one  hundred  years  after 
the  discovery  of  the  great  river,  the  "  Mesippi."  It 
was  in  161 5  that  Champlain,  one  of  the  earliest  and  most 
renowned  navigators  of  New  France,  with  the  Recollet 
friar,  Le  Caron,  made  the  discovery  of  Lac  Huron;  and 
the  first  mission  established  in  the  northwest  country  was 
located  on  the  eastern  shores  of  Georgian  Bay.  The  fol- 
lowing year  Champlain  announced  the  existence  of  an- 
other great  lake  at  the  head  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the 
waters  of  which  found  an  easy  outlet  in  the  swift  current 
and  the  rapids  of  the  broad  stream.  This  was  named 
Lac  Ontario.  The  lake  at  the  farthest  north  was  dis- 
covered in  1629  by  Etienne  Brule  and,  because  of  its  vast 
area,  determined  by  exploration  to  be  much  greater  than 
the  others,  was  named  Lac  Superior.  Five  years  later, 
in  1634,  Lac  MItchiganing  des  Illinois  was  explored 
by  Jean  Nicollet,  who  added  the  long  stretch  of  troubled 
waters  to  the  group  of  fresh-water  lakes.  In  1669,  more 
than  fifty  years  after  the  discovery  of  Lac  des  Huron, 
the  existence  of  a  fifth  large  lake  was  made  known,  prob- 
ably by  Jollet,  and  named  Lac  Telocharontlong  des  Erie. 
The  existence  of  connecting  straits  between  these  bodies 
of  water  at  the  time  was  a  mere  conjecture. 

From  the  positions  of  the  lakes  it  is  somewhat  remark- 


20  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

able  that  the  most  southerly  one  of  the  group,  extending 
to  the  east  beyond  the  western  end  of  Lake  Ontario, 
should  have  been  the  last  of  the  five  to  come  under  the  do- 
minion of  white  men.  But  the  reason  Is  obvious  when 
It  Is  considered  that  Lake  Erie  —  the  unknown  —  lay  in 
the  recesses  of  a  hostile  country  guarded  by  the  warlike 
Iroquois,  or  the  Five  Nations.  On  account  of  the  treach- 
erous and  unyielding  character  of  these  savages,  which 
were  the  veritable  tigers  of  the  American  Indian,  and 
partly  because  of  the  greater  distance  of  a  southern  route, 
the  course  of  the  French  missionaries  and  the  pioneer  fur 
traders  from  Montreal  was  up  the  Ottawa  River;  and, 
by  following  a  certain  tributary  the  voyagers  by  a  short 
portage  reached  a  secluded  lake.  From  there  it  was  a 
short  journey  down  a  quiet  stream  to  Georgian  Bay  and 
the  mission  established  by  Le  Caron.  This  route  to  the 
upper  lakes  was  followed  by  the  Hurons,  with  whom  the 
French  were  on  the  most  friendly  terms. 

The  first  attempts  to  map  out  the  Great  Lakes  In  intelll- 
gible  form  were  made  by  Champlain  in  1632,  and  some 
years  later  by  Galinee,  but  their  knowledge  of  the  vast 
territory  drained  by  the  chain  of  lakes  was  so  meagre 
that  the  most  crude  and  inaccurate  diagrams  were  the 
result.  In  these  early  maps  the  peninsula  of  Michigan 
was  not  shown,  and  the  waters  of  Lake  Huron  appeared 
to  extend  In  a  broad  expanse  to  the  westward  and  merged 
with  those  of  a  large  bay,  which  two  years  later  was 
found  to  be  another  great  lake,  extending  many  leagues 
to  the  south.  Lake  Erie  was  not  shown,  for  It  was  then 
unknown  to  the  French.  In  1671  the  map  appearing  In 
the  Jesuit  Relations  indicated  that  the  friars  had  ex- 
plored every  part  of  the  great  fresh-water  ocean  —  Lake 
Superior  —  and  that  they  had  full  knowledge  of  the 
straits  connecting  the  three  upper  lakes,  and  of  the  ad- 
jacent bays,  inlets,  and  shores. 

About  two  years  after,  a  map  having  no  title  nor  bear- 
ing the  name  of  its  author  was  printed  in  France,  and  it 


ORIGIN,  DISCOVERY,   MAGNITUDE     21 

indicated  a  greatly  increased  knowledge  of  the  country. 
The  outlines  of  the  shores  of  the  lakes,  their  bays  and 
rivers,  and  the  general  directions  and  proportions  were 
set  down  with  a  degree  of  correctness  which  is  remark- 
able, the  peninsula  of  Michigan  being  shown  in  very  nearly 
its  true  form.  The  map  is  more  than  four  feet  long  by 
two  and  a  half  feet  wide,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been 
the  work  of  La  Salle,  as  the  most  easterly  lake  is  given  as 
"  Lac  Ontario  ou  des  Frontenac,"  in  honor  of  his  patron, 
the  governor-general  of  Canada.  The  fort  at  Cataraqui 
and  the  Iroquois  villages  on  the  north  shore  are  indicated, 
as  well  as  the  Niagara  River  and  falls.  On  Lake  Michi- 
gan, opposite  the  site  of  Chicago,  is  written  (translation), 
"  The  largest  vessels  can  come  to  this  place  from  the  out- 
let of  Lake  Erie,  where  it  discharges  into  Lac  Frontenac; 
and  from  this  marsh  into  which  they  can  enter,  there  is 
only  a  distance  of  a  thousand  paces  to  the  River  la  Divine 
[Des  Plaines]  which  can  lead  them  to  the  river  Colbert, 
[Mississippi]  and  thence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico."  The 
whole  length  of  the  Ohio  is  laid  down,  and  is  so  spelled, 
as  it  was  so  called  by  the  roving  bands  of  Indians  on 
account  of  the  beautiful  scenes  along  its  banks. 

Other  maps  by  Marquette  and  Joliet  are  but  rude 
sketches  of  portions  of  the  upper  lakes  and  connecting 
streams,  although  a  later  one  by  Joliet,  intended  for  Col- 
bert, the  Minister  of  Marine,  is  an  elaborate  piece  of 
work  but  quite  inaccurate.  In  this  map  an  open  sea  is 
made  to  extend  from  Hudson's  Strait  westward  to  the 
Pacific.  The  Great  Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
are  laid  down  with  few  errors,  as  is  also  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  The  Mississippi  is  called  plainly  the  "  Mes- 
sasipi." 

In  mere  point  of  magnitude,  and  of  the  great  areas  of 
the  region  drained  by  their  tributary  streams,  the  Inland 
Seas  may  well  be  characterized  as  the  most  important 
physical  feature  of  the  American  continent.  And  when 
it  is  considered  that  the  broad  chain  of  lakes  and  their 


22  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

connecting  straits  have  been  so  large  a  factor  In  the  de- 
velopment of  a  vast  territory  much  greater  than  their 
drainage  basin,  and  have  exerted  so  large  an  influence 
on  the  climate  of  the  Northern  States  and  of  Canada, 
their  immense  value  to  millions  of  the  human  race  is  at 
once  evident.  Situated  between  75°  and  92°  west  longi- 
tude, and  between  41°  and  50°  north  latitude,  the 
Great  Lakes  include  a  region  one  thousand  miles  in 
length,  east  and  west,  and  five  hundred  miles  in  breadth, 
north  and  south,  which  represents  a  drainage  basin  of 
more  than  two  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  square 
miles.  This  Is  divided  among  the  different  bodies  of  water 
as  follows : 

Area  in  Square  Miles 

Water  Surface      Watershed 

Lake  Superior      31,200  51,600 

St.  Mary's  River 150  800 

Lake  Michigan 22,450  37,7oo 

Lake  Huron  and  Georgian  Bay    ....  23,800  3i)700 

St.  Clair  River 25  3, 800 

Lake  St.  Clair 410  3,400 

Detroit  River      25  1,200 

Lake  Erie 9,960  22,700 

Niagara  River 15  300 

Lake  Ontario^ 7,240  21,600 

Total  area  of  drainage  basin 270,075 

Lake  Superior,  which  Is  the  largest  body  of  fresh 
water  on  the  globe,  discharges  at  Its  outlet,  the  St.  Mary's 
River,  eighty-six  thousand  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second, 
which,  upon  merging  with  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan 
and  Lake  Huron  and  Georgian  Bay,  is  Increased  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  cubic  feet  per  second 
at  St.  Clair  River.  As  this  Immense  volume  continues 
through  Lake  Erie  the  watershed  of  that  lake  further 
increases  It  to  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  cubic 
feet  at  Niagara;  and  it  is  again  swelled  to  three  hundred 
thousand  cubic  feet  as  the  St.  Lawrence  River  takes  up  the 
flood  and  rushes  it  onward  to  the  Atlantic.     More  than 


ORIGIN,  DISCOVERY,   MAGNITUDE     23 

two  hundred  streams  pour  their  icy  waters  into  Lake 
Superior,  and  eight  hundred  into  the  other  lakes,  which 
amounts  to  six  thousand  cubic  miles,  sufficient  of  itself 
to  supply  Niagara  for  one  hundred  years.  The  water 
surface  of  the  lakes,  bays,  and  rivers  represents  an 
area  more  than  half  that  of  all  the  fresh  water  on  the 
globe. 

Figures  and  statistics  at  best  are  but  cold  evidences  of 
fact,  and  seldom  convey  to  the  mind  true  proportions  or 
accurate  comparisons.  To  more  clearly  illustrate  the 
magnitude  of  the  Great  Lakes,  they  have  been  super- 
imposed on  the  Eastern  States,  by  John  Birkenbine,  the 
well-known  engineer,  with  quite  a  surprising  result. 

"  We  are  familiar  with  the  expression  '  Great  Lakes,' 
but  do  not  appreciate  their  magnitude.  If  Lake  Superior 
be  superimposed  on  Pennsylvania  and  adjoining  States, 
its  eastern  extremity.  White  Fish  Bay,  can  be  placed  at 
Sandy  Hook,  N.  J.,  and  Duluth  at  its  western  end  would 
be  beyond  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  the  greatest  width  of  the 
lake  corresponding  closely  with  the  north  and  south 
boundaries  of  Pennsylvania.  If  Lake  Michigan  be  so 
placed  that  Philadelphia  occupies  the  same  relative  posi- 
tion as  Chicago,  the  northern  end  would  extend  to 
Montpelier,  Vt.,  its  width  being  practically  the  distance 
between  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  Treating  Lake 
Huron  in  a  similar  manner  and  placing  its  southern  ex- 
tremity at  Philadelphia,  it  would  extend  in  a  northerly 
direction  beyond  Albany,  N.  Y.,  the  foot  of  Georgian  Bay 
corresponding  with  New  Haven,  Conn.,  that  of  Saginaw 
Bay  being  at  Pottsville,  Penn.,  while  the  Straits  of  Macki- 
nac would  approach  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  the  distance 
from  the  foot  of  the  lake  to  the  straits  being  practically 
that  between  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg.  Assuming 
Philadelphia  as  occupying  the  same  position  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Erie  as  Buffalo,  Pittsburg  would  correspond  with 
the  mouth  of  Detroit  River,  and  the  distance  across  Lake 
Ontario  from  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  on  the  east  to  Hamil- 


24  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

ton,  Ontario,  on  the  west  is  equal  to  that  from  Phila- 
delphia to  Cumberland,  Md." 

The  waters  of  Lake  Superior  are  marvellously  clear, 
and  even  in  midsummer  are  exceedingly  cold,  never 
reaching  a  higher  temperature  than  40°  Fahrenheit.  "  In 
passing  along  its  rocky  shores  in  my  frail  canoe,"  observes 
Mr.  Lanman,  "  I  have  often  been  alarmed  at  the  sight 
of  a  sunken  bowlder,  which  I  fancied  must  be  near  the 
surface,  and  on  further  investigation  have  found  myself 
to  be  upwards  of  twenty  feet  from  the  danger  of  a  con- 
cussion; and  I  have  frequently  lowered  a  white  cloth 
to  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet  or  more,  and  been  able 
to  discern  its  every  fold  and  stain.  The  color  of  the 
water  near  the  shore  is  a  deep  green,  but  off  soundings 
it  has  all  the  dark  blue  appearance  of  the  ocean.  The 
sandy  shores  are  more  abrupt  than  any  body  of  water  I 
have  ever  seen  ;  and  within  a  few  feet  of  many  of  its 
innumerable  bluffs,  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  ship  to 
anchor." 

The  level  of  the  Inland  Ocean  is  six  hundred  and  two 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  its  turbulent  waters  reach  great 
depths.  Near  the  middle  of  its  broad  expanse  over 
which  a  fast  modern  steamer  may  plough  its  way  for 
thirty  hours  without  the  traveller  having  a  sight  of  land, 
the  depth  is  upward  of  thirteen  hundred  feet;  and  much 
of  its  bed  lies  seven  hundred  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
salt-water  oceans.  The  shores  of  the  lake  are  largely 
rock-bound,  and  in  some  places,  notably  near  Grand  Island 
on  the  south  shore,  the  crags  are  carved  out  by  water  ero- 
sion Incurious  and  fantastic  forms,  with  a  cavernous  opening 
into  a  high  vaulted  chamber,  into  which  vessels  of  moderate 
size  can  enter.  This  wild  and  rocky  shore,  abounding  in 
beautiful  scenery,  bears  the  appropriate  name,  "  Pictured 
Rocks."  The  largest  Island  Is  Isle  Royal,  lying  within 
the  United  States  boundary,  while  MIchipIcoten,  Isle  of 
Ignacc,  and  groups  of  smaller  Islands  near  the  north  shore 
lie  wholly  in  Canadian  waters.    At  the  head  of  St.  Mary's 


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ORIGIN,  DISCOVERY,  MAGNITUDE      25 

River  the  waters  of  Lake  Superior  fall  nineteen  feet  over 
rapids  nearly  a  mile  long,  and  flow  for  fifty  miles  through 
numerous  channels  into  Lake  Huron. 

Lake  Michigan,  which  is  the  only  one  of  the  Great 
Lakes  lying  wholly  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States, 
is  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length,  and  its  average 
width  is  about  seventy  miles.  Its  surface  is  five  hundred 
and  eighty-one  feet  above  the  sea,  and  its  greatest  depth 
is  eight  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet,  with  its  bed  more 
than  two  hundred  feet  below  the  sea  level.  The  waters 
flow  northward  through  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  merging 
with  those  of  the  other  two  upper  lakes.  Lake  Huron 
and  Georgian  Bay  have  a  common  level  with  Lake  Michi* 
gan,  and  the  depth  of  the  lakes  is  nearly  the  same.  The 
shores  of  these  lakes  are  mostly  sandy  bluffs,  the  land 
rising  gradually  in  natural  terraces  to  higher  ridges  far 
inland.  Lake  Huron  has  a  total  length  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  miles,  and  at  its  widest  point  south  of 
Thunder  Bay  is  more  than  one  hundred  miles  in  width. 
An  extended  expanse  from  the  head  of  Saginaw  Bay 
across  the  bay  and  lake  and  through  Georgian  Bay  to 
the  mouth  of  French  River  is  approximately  as  long  as 
the  greatest  length  of  the  lake  itself.  Furious  nor'easters 
sweep  over  the  lake,  and  mariners  dread  the  crossing  of 
Saginaw  Bay  during  the  last  months  of  the  navigation 
season. 

The  strait  through  which  the  combined  waters  flow, 
composed  as  it  is  of  two  great  highways  of  commerce  and 
an  extension  of  one  into  a  small  and  shallow  lake  called 
St.  Clair,  is  ninety  miles  long,  and  from  one-half  mile 
to  a  mile  in  width,  and  has  a  broad  outlet  into  Lake 
Erie.  This  historic  lake,  which  is  so  bountifully  supplied 
with  islands  of  various  sizes  and  shapes,  upon  which  Na- 
ture has  lavished  her  richest  gifts,  is  two  hundred  and 
sixty  miles  in  length,  and  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  in 
width.  Its  surface  is  five  hundred  and  seventy-three  feet 
above  the  sea  level,  but  its  greatest  depth  is  only  two  hun- 


26  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

dred  and  ten  feet,  so  that  its  bed  lies  almost  four  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea.  Compared  with  the  depth  of  the 
other  lakes,  Lake  Erie  is  but  a  broad  shallow  scoop 
in  the  earth's  crust.  Because  of  its  shallowness  so'westers 
are  prevalent  in  this  region,  and  nor'easters  often  lash 
its  troubled  waters  into  rough  choppy  seas  of  a  severity 
provoked  by  all  the  Titanic  furies.  With  its  long  record 
of  shipwreck  and  death,  surpassed  by  none  of  the  larger 
upper  lakes,  Lake  Erie  is  appropriately  termed  "  the 
marine  graveyard  of  the  inland  seas." 

Into  the  Niagara  River  the  flood  of  waters  rushes  as  if 
eager  to  escape  and,  having  dashed  along  the  rocky  bed 
of  the  upper  rapids  and  hurled  itself  over  the  precipice 
only  to  be  caught  up  in  the  swirl  of  other  rapids,  it 
finally  reaches,  in  its  descent  of  thirty-six  miles,  a  new 
level  three  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  below  Lake 
Erie.  Through  the  length  of  Lake  Ontario,  which  is 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles,  its  flow 
continues  until  the  St.  Lawrence  River  takes  it  up  and 
rushes  it  along  to  meet  the  salt  waters. 


CHAPTER    II 

EARLIEST    NAVIGATION 

The  Races  of  Indians  and  Tribes  in  the  Lake  Region  —  Their  Char- 
acter AND  Temperament  —  Dugouts  or  "  Pirogues  "  —  Birch-bark 
Canoes  —  Used  by  Explorers  and  Fur  Traders  —  Hardships  and 
Pleasures  of  Early  Mariners — The   Bateau  —  Mackinac  Boat. 

SOMEWHERE  back  in  the  remote  realm  of  Indian 
tradition  and  long  before  the  advent  of  the  "  pale 
faces  "  upon  the  soil  of  America,  the  birch-bark  canoe, 
so  skilfully  made  and  deftly  handled  by  the  aborigines, 
had  its  beginning  —  its  baptism  in  the  clear  blue  waters 
of  the  Inland  Seas.  For  centuries  before  the  Franciscans 
had  established  the  missions  of  Ste.  Marie  and  St.  Ig- 
natius upon  the  straits  connecting  the  three  upper  lakes, 
and  until  after  the  pioneer  fur  traders  had  pushed  their 
way  beyond  Michilimackinac  to  Green  Bay,  the  native 
canoe  was  the  only  mode  of  conveyance  on  the  lakes  and 
rivers.  It  well  served  the  purpose  of  its  creation;  it  was 
light  and  buoyant;  and,  in  coursing  through  the  streams 
or  timidly  hugging  the  shores  of  the  lakes,  the  savages, 
in  bands  of  six  or  eight,  found  the  frail  craft  the  easiest 
means  of  travel. 

The  native  races  of  America  received  their  name  "  In- 
dian "  from  Columbus  who,  upon  coming  to  land  after 
a  long  and  wearisome  voyage,  believed  that  he  had 
reached  the  far-famed  Cathay,  or  the  East  Indies,  hence 
the  natural  designation.  The  famous  discoverer  did  not 
live  to  correct  his  error;  and  it  is  singular  that  so  inap- 
propriate a  name  should  have  clung  to  them  through 
the  centuries  even  unto  the  time  of  their  gradual  assimila- 
tion with  civilization.     The  tribes  Inhabiting  the  Great 


28  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

Lakes  country  at  the  time  of  the  early  French  explora- 
tions, two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  were  included  in 
two  great  races.  The  Algonquins,  or  that  portion  of 
them  toward  the  west,  occupied  the  region  between  Lake 
Huron  and  Lake  Michigan  and  that  west  of  the  latter 
lake  as  far  as  the  Mississippi,  and  north  to  Lake  Superior. 
Their  tribes  embraced  the  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Menomo- 
nies.  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Miamis,  Potawatomies,  Illinois, 
and  Kickapoos.  To  the  south  and  east  of  lakes  Erie  and 
Ontario,  and  as  far  as  the  Ohio  River,  the  warlike  Iro- 
quois held  undisputed  sway,  being  composed  of  the  Sene- 
cas,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  and  Mohawks.  They 
had  conquered  their  kindred  tribes  speaking  the  same 
dialect,  the  Eries  and  Andastes,  who  roamed  the  southern 
shores  of  Lake  Erie;  and  had  also  brought  under  sub- 
jection the  mighty  Hurons,  who  occupied  the  whole 
region  of  upper  Canada. 

Although  the  number  of  tribes  occupying  the  vast  terri- 
tory of  the  Great  Lakes  would  indicate  a  considerable 
population,  to  place  the  aggregate  at  fifty  thousand  would 
approach,  and  perhaps  exceed,  a  true  estimate.  There 
were  broad  sections  of  primeval  forest  through  which 
the  savages  seldom  or  never  trod,  and  "  Ohio,  a  part  of 
Indiana,  and  the  greater  part  of  Michigan  remained  open 
to  Indian  immigration  long  after  America  began  to  be 
colonized  by  Europeans.  From  the  portage  between 
the  Fox  and  the  Wisconsin  to  the  Des  Moines,  Marquette 
saw  neither  the  countenance  nor  the  footprint  of  man. 
In  Illinois,  so  friendly  to  the  habits  of  savage  life,  the 
Franciscan  Zenobe  Membre  described  the  only  large  vil- 
lage as  containing  seven  or  eight  thousand  souls;  and 
other  missionaries  who  made  their  abode  there  related 
their  appalling  journeys  through  absolute  solitudes;  they 
represented  their  vocation  as  a  chase  after  a  savage  that 
was  scarce  ever  to  be  found;  and  they  could  gather  five, 
or  perhaps  only  three,  villages  in  the  entire  region." 

The  first  instinct  of  the  savage  was  of  war  and  strife; 


EARLIEST    NAVIGATION  29 

he  would  tramp  through  the  pathless  forest  or  paddle 
his  canoe  through  the  lonely  streams  for  days,  subsisting 
on  parched  corn  or  the  fruits  of  the  chase;  he  would  en- 
dure the  greatest  hardships  and  dangers  in  seeking  re- 
venge, and  once  having  satisfied  the  craving  for  the  blood 
of  his  enemy,  he  would  as  silently  return  to  his  wigwam. 
His  trophies  of  victory,  which  were  sacredly  guarded 
and  which  accumulated  as  he  advanced  in  years  and 
prowess,  were  proudly  displayed  as  he  recounted  over  and 
again  his  exploits  and  those  of  his  ancestors.  At  home 
he  was  fond  of  idleness,  and  his  greatest  toil  was  in  re- 
pairing the  cabins,  in  constructing  canoes,  or  in  making 
ready  the  implements  of  war  and  of  the  chase.  The 
squaw  was  the  laborer,  and  she  bore  the  burdens  of  life. 
With  only  a  shell,  or  the  shoulder-blade  of  a  buffalo, 
she  planted  the  corn  or  the  beans;  and,  watching  their 
growth  and  breaking  the  weeds,  in  due  season  she  gath- 
ered the  harvest.  If  the  Indian  killed  some  game,  she 
brought  it  home;  she  carried  the  wood,  drew  the  water, 
and  prepared  the  food.  When  the  chief  laid  the  keel 
and  frame  of  a  canoe,  it  was  the  woman  who  stretched  the 
thin  bark  and  stitched  it  and  made  tight  the  overlapping 
joints. 

The  first  canoes  to  float  on  the  waterways  of  the  In- 
land Seas  were  crude  dugouts,  called  in  the  Indian  dialect 
"  pirogues,"  in  which  the  savages  paddled  or  poled  the 
streams  in  quest  of  game.  In  shape  and  method  of  mak- 
ing they  well  represented  the  rough  and  unskilled  work 
of  primitive  man.  The  hollowing  and  fashioning  of  them 
from  huge  logs  was  ever  the  greatest  labor  of  the  Indian 
warrior,  and  he  did  not  often  undertake  the  task.  When 
he  had  no  means  of  navigating  the  streams  or  lakes,  he 
would  follow  the  bank  of  a  wooded  watercourse,  and, 
upon  finding  a  giant  of  the  forest,  preferably  of  red 
cedar,  straight  and  clear  to  the  lower  branches,  he  would 
fell  it  by  dint  of  toil,  as  the  stone  hatchet  was  his  only 
tool.     If  the  tree,  perchance,  fell  over  the  water,  he  was 


30  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

pleased  to  find  the  trunk  in  a  position  for  easy  launching 
when  it  should  have  been  shaped  into  the  canoe.  Then 
with  rude  tools  he  would  chop  away  the  ends  into  some 
semblance  of  prows,  and  by  fire  and  the  stone  hatchet 
would  dig  out  the  inside.  At  best  the  pirogues  were  heav^y 
and  unwieldly  boats  with  little  cari-ying  capacity  in  propor- 
tion to  their  bulk.  They  were  hard  to  propel  against  a 
swift  current,  and  for  use  in  the  open  lake,  a  sort  of 
outrigger  was  attached  to  prevent  their  swamping.  If 
high  at  the  ends  and  dug  out  as  deep  as  the  log  would 
admit,  one  could  carry  four  passengers  and  a  crew  of 
paddlers  of  the  same  number. 

The  birch-bark  canoe,  which  was  so  well  adapted  to 
the  needs  of  the  western  Indian,  may  properly  be  con- 
sidered the  real  precursor  of  the  great  fleets  of  white- 
winged  vessels  which  sailed  the  lakes  during  the  first  half 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  model  of  this  light  and 
graceful  craft  has  been  preserved  through  the  generations, 
and  is  exemplified  to-day  in  the  easy  lines  of  the  pleasure 
craft  so  much  in  favor  on  the  rivers  and  lakes  throughout 
the  country.  The  canoe  of  the  Indians  was  constructed 
wholly  of  bark  of  the  birch,  splints  of  the  cedar,  roots  of 
the  spruce,  and  pitch  of  the  white  pine.  These  materials, 
which  were  common  to  a  vast  region  from  Hudson's  Bay 
to  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie,  were  fabricated  in  an  astonish- 
ing degree  of  lightness  and  strength,  the  finished  canoe 
floating  lightly  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  Indians 
first  cut  down  a  birch  tree  and  with  much  skill  and  care 
they  stripped  the  bark  in  one  long  piece;  they  cut  and 
shaped  the  keel  and  the  ribs  of  red  cedar;  they  dug  the 
small  roots  of  spruce  and  gathered  a  supply  of  gum  of 
white  pine. 

With  all  these  articles  assembled  on  the  ground  the  di- 
minutive shipyard  became  a  scene  of  gay  activity.  The 
chief  laid  the  keel,  the  warriors  bent  and  secured  the  ribs, 
and  when  they  were  all  In  place,  the  frame  was  strength- 
ened with  cross-pieces  connecting  the  gunwales.     At  this 


EARLIEST    NAVIGATION  31 

stage  the  squaws,  who  had  been  cutting  and  preparing  the 
bark,  came  on  the  scene  to  do  the  part  of  the  work  which 
custom  and  tradition  demanded  of  them.  They  fitted 
the  bark  closely  over  the  skeleton  frame;  they  sewed  it 
with  the  "  wat-tap  "  to  the  ribs  and  keel,  and  also  the  over- 
lapping joints ;  they  filled  the  openings  with  the  white  gum 
and  smoothed  off  the  edges,  and  they  rubbed  the  wood 
and  polished  the  bark.  The  warriors  then  added  the 
last  touches  to  the  finished  canoe  by  decorating  its  bows 
with  symbols  of  the  tribe.  The  forms  thus  painted  in 
bright  colors,  red,  yellow,  and  green  predominating,  were 
often  of  curious  and  fanciful  designs,  adding  a  mystical 
charm  to  the  water  scene.  It  was,  indeed,  an  imposing 
spectacle  when,  at  an  early  hour  of  a  still,  summer  morn- 
ing, a  gayly  decorated  fleet  of  canoes  filled  with  savages 
bent  on  the  chase,  pushed  out  from  the  shore  of  a  little 
bay  or  inlet,  the  wet  paddles  flashing  in  the  sunlight,  and 
soon  disappeared  behind  some  headland.  The  scene  was 
vividly  repeated  at  sundown  when  the  party  returned,  the 
canoes  well  filled  with  all  kinds  of  game,  or  with  white- 
fish,  which  abounded  in  the  waters  of  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

The  canoes  intended  for  purposes  of  war  or  of  trade 
were  from  thirty-two  to  thirty-five  feet  in  length,  and 
from  five  to  six  feet  in  width  as  measurements  are  reck- 
oned to-day,  and  their  carrying  capacity  was  enormous. 
They  were  so  well  suited  to  the  country  as  to  be  used  ex- 
clusively by  the  early  explorers  who  traversed  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  the  Ottawa  Rivers  to  the  upper  lakes. 
Every  traveller  used  them,  from  the  first  lake  voyage  of 
Father  Marquette,  as  also  La  Salle,  Hennepin,  La  Hon- 
tan,  Charlevoix,  Henry,  and  Carver,  in  the  order  of 
their  explorations,  even  to  the  time  of  Sir  Alexander 
Mackenzie.  They  supplied  all  the  simple  needs  of  the 
savages  and  the  few  requirements  of  the  hardy  adven- 
turers, who  readily  adopted  the  customs  and  usages  of 
the  aborigines. 

With  the  coming  of  the  barterers,  those  crafty  white 


32  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

men  who  exchanged  the  guns  and  trinkets  of  Europe  for 
the  furs  of  the  Indians,  the  birch-bark  canoe  became  the 
all-important  mode  of  conveyance.  Little  groups  of 
them  dotted  the  shores  and  rivers  in  the  long  journey 
from  the  upper  lakes  to  the  Niagara  portage  or  beyond 
to  Quebec,  a  single  canoe  often  being  laden  with  as  much 
as  three  tons  of  valuable  furs.  The  cargo  usually  con- 
sisted of  sixty  packages  of  furs  weighing  ninety  pounds 
each,  which  with  the  additional  weight  of  the  men  and 
their  camp  outfit  and  supplies  eti  route,  brought  the  total 
to  fully  four  tons.  So  heavily  laden  a  canoe  settled  deep 
in  the  water,  requiring  the  united  efforts  of  eight  Indians 
or  as  hardy  Canadians  to  propel  it  against  the  current 
of  the  streams  or  over  the  swells  of  the  troubled  lakes. 
In  calm  weather  they  were  able  to  paddle  about  four 
miles  an  hour;  and  they  followed  the  shores  closely,  for 
the  frail  craft  were  easily  broken,  but  they  did  not  ven- 
ture to  approach  a  rough  coast.  If  a  sudden  storm  rose 
while  they  skirted  a  rocky  shore,  the  supplies  were  first 
carried  ashore  upon  the  backs  of  the  men,  and  then  the 
furs  or  goods  composing  the  cargo  were  safely  landed. 
If  rain  fell  in  torrents,  as  was  usual  in  the  thickly  wooded 
country,  the  lightened  canoe  was  easily  drawn  up  and 
turned  bottom  up  over  the  pile  of  goods. 

To  the  native  sons  of  the  forest  and  the  sturdy  mari- 
ners of  those  early  days,  the  drenchings  and  discomforts 
of  the  voyage  were  little  thought  of  as  hardships,  as 
such  incidents  and  exposures  to  greater  dangers  were 
but  parts  of  a  rough  life  to  which  they  were  inured  from 
childhood.  They  had  no  more  thought  of  the  morrow 
than  the  birds  which  flew  through  the  branches  of  the 
trees  above  them.  The  whole  responsibility  and  direc- 
tion of  the  journeys  they  willingly  delegated  to  their 
leaders,  men  who  wielded  the  paddle  and  shared  the 
dangers  as  themselves.  Of  the  relations  existing  between 
the  early  fur  traders,  the  voyagers,  and  their  savage  allies, 
Mr.  Parkman  graphically  records: 


EARLIEST   NAVIGATION  33 

"The  intercourse  between  the  civilized  and  uncivilized  parties 
of  men  was  truly  fraternal.  The  French  conformed,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  the  modes  of  life  of  the  Indians.  They  shared  their 
games;  they  married  the  daughters  of  the  chiefs,  and  in  all 
points  endeavored  to  identify  the  interests  of  the  natives  with 
their  own.  Marquette  had  remarkable  facility  in  the  acquisi- 
tion of  languages.  He  could  speak  fluently  the  languages  of  all 
the  tribes  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  of  which  there  was  a  general 
resemblance.  Taking  Indian  guides  with  him  he  made  tours 
in  various  directions,  paddled  by  Indians  in  a  birch-bark 
canoe.  He  visited  many  tribes,  met  their  chiefs  at  the  council 
fire,  slept  in  their  wigwams,  administered  medicine  to  their 
sick,  and,  through  all  these  ministrations,  he  was  as  safe  from 
harm  as  he  would  have  been  on  the  boulevards  of  Paris." 

In  midsummer,  bright,  clear  days  with  scarcely  a  flit- 
ting cloud  in  the  sky  or  a  ripple  on  the  calm  waters  are 
not  unusual  on  the  Inland  Seas,  but  any  one  who  has  wit- 
nessed the  grandeur  with  which  the  ocean-like  billows  of 
Lake  Huron  often  break  upon  the  western  shore,  will 
wonder  how  it  was  possible  for  the  frail  canoes  of  the 
primitive  settlers  to  ride  over  Its  surges.  Settled  so  low 
in  the  water  as  to  seem  almost  burled  In  the  waves, 
yet  the  buoyant  canoe  was  kept  bobbing  lightly  on  the 
surface  and  with  hardly  a  dash  of  spray,  all  by  the  most 
dexterous  use  of  paddles  In  the  hands  of  skilled  natives. 

When  landing  for  an  encampment  at  night  or  forced 
to  take  shelter  from  storms,  which  are  prevalent  during 
the  Fall  months  throughout  the  lake  region,  the  voyagers 
easily  drew  up  their  canoes  upon  the  sands,  and  turned 
them  over  as  a  protection  from  the  rain.  Then,  upon 
entering  a  little  way  Into  the  dense  forest,  which  from 
time  immemorial  had  fringed  the  shores  of  the  lakes, 
they  speedily  reared  a  sort  of  shelter  made  of  the 
branches  of  trees  and  covered  with  leaves  and  moss. 
They  spread  mats  on  the  ground,  built  camp  fires,  whose 
brilliant  blaze  enlivened  the  scene,  and  settled  themselves 
in  the  forest  abode  which  presented  all  the  comforts 
of  which  they  could  dream.  They  cooked  their  suppers 
of  corn  bread  and  venison  or  bear  steaks,  which  health 


34  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

and  hunger  rendered  most  delicious.  They  sang  songs, 
told  stories,  cracked  jokes,  and  enjoyed  the  wild  life 
even  more  perhaps  than  the  hunters  and  fishermen  of 
to-day  in  the  north  country.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
navigation  season,  when  the  lakes  were  almost  constantly 
lashed  into  frightful  furies  by  the  Fall  gales,  canoe  par- 
ties were  often  held  from  three  to  five  days  before  they 
dared  venture  upon  the  still  angry  seas.  Even  with  the 
utmost  care  in  handling  the  frail  canoes,  they  were  some- 
times wrecked,  or  more  often  the  thin  skin  of  their 
bottom  was  punctured  by  a  projecting  rock.  To  quickly 
make  the  needed  repair  the  voyagers  always  carried  a  ball 
of  "  wat-tap  "  stitching  root,  a  good-sized  lump  of  the 
white  gum,  and  a  few  pieces  of  dry  and  thin  birch  bark. 
With  these  simple  devices  and  their  hatchets  and  guns, 
and  relying  upon  their  own  clear  judgment  and  valiant 
and  resolute  spirit,  they  were  well  prepared  to  combat 
the  elements  both  of  the  earth  and  the  sky. 

As  time  went  on  and  the  fur  trade  increased,  the  genius 
of  the  French  evolved  the  bateau  and,  a  little  later,  the 
Mackinac  boat,  both  of  which,  being  built  wholly  of 
wood,  proved  much  stronger  and  more  seaworthy  craft. 
The  bateau  was  a  light  boat  made  of  flat  pieces  of  wood 
hewed  or  sawed  from  red  cedar  logs,  so  shaped  and  fas- 
tened together  with  iron  bolts  or  round  wooden  pegs  as  to 
give  strength  and  buoyancy.  It  had  no  keel  for  none 
was  needed,  as  the  flat  bottom  and  reinforced  strips 
and  strengthening  ribs  answered  the  purpose,  and  gave 
rigidity  to  the  handy  boat.  It  was  very  long  in  propor- 
tion to  its  width,  and  because  of  its  high  projecting  bows 
and  sloping  sides  required  great  skill  in  navigating. 
Some  bateaux  were  of  nearly  three  tons'  burden,  and  three 
or  four  men  could  propel  one  against  a  swift  current  of 
the  streams  by  the  use  of  oars  and  poles. 

The  Mackinac  boat  was  the  earliest  type  of  barge 
used  on  the  western  waters,  and  was  somewhat  larger 
than  the  other  craft  then  in  use.     It  was  constructed  of 


EARLIEST    NAVIGATION  3^ 

red  or  white  oak  boards,  with  a  flat  bottom  and  rather 
blunt  bows,  over  a  stiff  heavy  frame,  and  was  well  adapted 
to  carry  large  burdens.  Being  too  unwieldy  a  craft  to 
paddle,  it  was  towed  or  poled  along  the  shores  of  the 
lakes  and  through  the  rivers  by  the  force  of  human 
strength.  This  type  of  boat  was  also  called  "  the  marine 
of  the  lakes." 

During  the  period  about  1669,  the  whole  of  the  great 
Northwest  was  an  unknown  land,  and  no  one  was  cer- 
tain whether  the  continent  extended  one  thousand  or 
five  thousand  miles  to  a  western  ocean.  It  was  the  gen- 
eral impression  among  the  early  colonists  that  the 
waves  of  the  Pacific  washed  against  rocky  and  forbid- 
ding shores  a  few  miles  beyond  the  "  inland  ocean,"  the 
furthermost  link  in  the  chain  of  Great  Lakes  which 
fringed  the  southern  shores  of  Canada.  In  1664,  Fathers 
Marquette  and  Dablon  had  established  the  mission  of 
St.  Mary,  near  the  head  of  the  strait  connecting  Lakes 
Superior  and  Huron,  —  the  first  settlement  of  white 
men  within  the  limits  of  the  Northwestern  States. 
To  La  Salle  is  honor  due  as  being  not  only  one  of  the 
first  explorers  to  navigate  the  coasts  of  the  lower  penin- 
sula of  Michigan,  but  he  was  the  first  of  all  white  men, 
so  far  as  known,  to  penetrate  its  interior. 

After  some  years  the  sailing  vessel  appeared,  a  type 
which,  in  the  history  of  all  civilized  nations,  is  "  the  child 
of  antiquity,"  as  it  formed  the  primitive  cradle  of  the 
human  race.  It  relies,  however,  entirely  upon  its  good 
genius,  that  mysterious  and  invisible  force  which  comes 
from  on  high. 


CHAPTER  III 

LE  GRIFFON,   THE  FIRST  SAILING  VESSEL 

La  Salle  and  the  Building  of  Frontenac  —  His  Plans  —  Granted  the 
Seigniory  of  Frontenac  —  Expedition  to  Niagara  —  Discovery  of 
THE  Cataract  —  Settlement  Established  above  It  —  Second  Party 
with  La  Salle  Arrives  —  Lays  Keel  of  Vessel  —  Hostility  of 
Indians  —  Council  Fire  and  Pipe  of  Peace  —  Discontent  of  Work- 
men —  La  Salle  Returns  to  Frontenac  —  Tonty  and  Men  Rush 
Completion  of  Vessel  —  Fur  Trade  and  Exchanges. 

IN  all  the  annals  of  exploration  of  the  American  con- 
tinent it  would  be  difficult  to  find  more  thrilling 
and  fascinating  adventures  than  those  of  the  early  French 
explorers,  or  more  impressive  ministrations  than  those 
of  the  Jesuit  and  Recollet  friars  who  always  accom- 
panied them  on  their  journeys.  Delving  into  the  musty 
and  fragmentary  records  of  a  period  two  and  a  quarter 
centuries  ago,  and  with  access  to  the  narratives  of 
Fathers  Hennepin,  La  Motte,  and  others,  the  wonder 
grows  that  so  small  a  band  of  men  and  zealots,  brave 
and  fearless  though  they  were,  in  the  face  of  hidden 
dangers  and  among  hostile  savages,  should  have  accom- 
plished so  much  of  settlement  and  mission  work;  and 
that  it  all  should  have  resulted  so  little  for  the  flag  of 
France. 

Far  above  the  stirring  events  of  that  epoch  and  of 
the  utmost  human  interest,  is  the  story  of  the  building, 
fitting  out,  and  voyage  of  the  Griffin,  which  was  the 
first  vessel  ever  to  unfold  sails  to  the  winds  of  the  great 
Inland  Seas.  Built  in  the  dense  wilderness  under  great 
difficulties,  it  was  the  child  of  one  man's  boundless  am- 
bition—  an  unconquerable  craving  for  discovery  —  to 
bring  to  the  knowledge  of  the  world  the  unknown.     To 


THE    FIRST    SAILING   VESSEL  37 

seek  a  direct  northwest  passage  to  China  and  Japan, 
through  which  the  ships  of  France  might  extend  their 
trade  with  the  far  distant  lands,  was  the  highest  ambition 
of  Rene  CaveHer  de  la  Salle,  whose  name,  of  all  others 
that  shed  lustre  upon  the  French  discovery  in  America, 
ranks  with  Champlain.  His  other  ambitions  of  creating 
a  monopoly  of  trade  in  furs  with  the  Indians,  and  of  con- 
quest were  quite  subordinate  to  his  desire  for  discovery, 
but  were  necessary  to  his  purpose,  and  the  Griffin  was 
an  essential  link  in  the  scheme.  The  building  of  Fron- 
tenac  and  the  incidents  of  his  career  for  a  few  years  prior 
to  the  building  of  the  vessel  have  so  intimate  and  im- 
portant a  relation  to  that  event,  as  to  form  an  integral 
part  of  its  history. 

As  early  as  1660,  the  inhabitants  of  Quebec  had  been 
told  by  Indians  of  a  mighty  river,  the  great  river,  the 
"  Father  of  Waters,"  majestically  flowing  from  the  un- 
explored solitudes  of  the  vast  wilderness  In  the  great 
Northwest,  far  away  Into  the  unknown  regions  of  the  South. 
Ten  years  later  the  rediscovery  and  exploration  of  the 
Mississippi  by  Father  Marquette  and  others  gave  new  im- 
pulse to  the  ambitions  of  La  Salle.  When  the  event 
became  known  in  the  eastern  provinces  he  at  once  laid 
plans  for  the  establishment  of  a  series  of  military  posts 
and  trading  stations  along  the  whole  chain  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  intended  eventually  to  extend  them  to  im- 
portant points  on  the  Mississippi  and  Its  tributaries.  It 
was  his  further  aim  to  plant  the  flag  of  France  and  to 
declare  under  the  domination  of  the  king  the  whole 
country  drained  by  these  waters.  At  this  time  many 
people  believed  that  the  Great  River  flowed  into  the 
Pacific,  thus  giving  a  direct  route  to  the  western  ocean. 

The  sublime  plan  of  La  Salle,  which  could  only  be 
carried  into  execution  by  the  continuous  work  of  many 
years,  met  with  the  cordial  approval  of  Count  Fron- 
tenac,  then  governor-general  of  Canada,  and  he  gave  the 
gigantic  scheme  his  full  support.     In  1673  ^"  expedition 


38  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

had  started  from  Quebec  comprising  four  hundred  men, 
including  the  Indian  guides,  in  one  hundred  and  twenty 
canoes  and  two  flat  boats  and  led  by  Frontenac  himself, 
to  establish  a  fort  at  Cataraqui  near  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Ontario.  La  Salle  had  been  sent  ahead  to  call  a  council 
of  Indian  chiefs  of  the  Five  Nations  called  Iroquois,  and 
had  been  so  successful  in  creating  friendly  relations  with 
them  that,  when  the  expedition  arrived,  Frontenac 
found  the  Indian  camp  of  sixty  savage  deputies  drawn 
up  to  receive  him.  At  the  place  of  council,  on  the  ground 
carpeted  with  canvas  from  the  flat  boats,  the  deputies 
squatted  and  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace.  Frontenac  sat 
surrounded  by  his  officers,  while  Gavakonite,  a  noted 
chief  and  a  friend  of  the  French,  opened  the  council  with 
expressions  of  great  respect  and  deference  toward 
*'  Onondio,"  the  name  they  gave  to  the  governor  of  Can- 
ada.    Frontenac  replied: 

"Children:  Mohawks,  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  and  Senecas,  I 
am  glad  to  see  you  here  where  I  have  had  a  fire  lighted  for  you 
to  smoke  by,  and  for  me  to  talk  to  you.  You  have  done  well, 
my  children,  to  obey  the  command  of  your  Father.  Take 
courage,  you  will  hear  his  word,  which  is  full  of  peace  and 
tenderness.  For  do  not  think  I  have  come  for  war.  ]\Iy  mind 
is  full  of  peace  and  she  walks  by  my  side.  Courage,  then,  my 
children,  and  take  rest." 

In  five  days  the  council  was  ended,  and  having  been 
given  many  presents  and  tokens  of  good  will,  the  sav- 
ages returned  to  their  wigwams.  The  fort  was  rushed 
to  completion  and  the  expedition  accomplished  its  pur- 
pose, at  a  cost  of  but  ten  thousand  francs  to  the  king. 
In  this  enterprise  La  Salle  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits, 
exerting  a  remarkable  influence  over  the  Indians,  and  well 
meriting  the  support  of  the  governor-general. 

Two  years  went  by  when,  in  the  Summer  of  1675,  La 
Salle  went  to  France.  He  carried  letters  from  Frontenac 
to  the  renowned  Colbert,  then  Minister  of  Finance  and 
Marine,  to  aid  him  in  securing  a  reception.     Upon  un- 


THE    FIRST   SAILING   VESSEL  39 

folding  his  plans  before  the  minister  and  the  king,  th-e 
project  attracted  attention  and  soon  received  due  con- 
sideration. La  Salle  was  finally  authorized  to  reestablish 
Fort  Frontenac,  at  CataraquI,  then  much  reduced  and 
falling  Into  decay.  The  king  granted  La  Salle  the  seign- 
iory of  Fort  Frontenac  and  the  surrounding  territory, 
twelve  miles  long  by  one  and  a  half  miles  wide,  and  the 
neighboring  Islands;  and  also  granted  unrestricted  rights 
to  trade  with  the  Indians  upon  the  entire  length  of  the 
Inland  Seas.  La  Salle,  having  received  financial  aid  from 
his  relatives,  agreed,  upon  these  grants,  to  refund  the  orig- 
inal cost  of  building  Fort  Frontenac,  and  to  rebuild  it  of 
stone.  "  He  was  to  maintain  it  at  his  own  expense  with  a 
garrison  equal  to  that  at  Montreal,  and  In  addition  fifteen 
or  twenty  laborers  to  form  a  French  colony  around  it; 
to  build  a  church  whenever  the  number  of  inhabitants 
should  reach  one  hundred;  and  meanwhile  to  support  one 
or  more  Recollet  friars,  and  to  form  a  settlement  of 
domesticated  Indians  In  the  vicinity."  In  return  he  was 
vested  with  the  government  of  the  fort  and  settlement, 
subject  to  the  orders  of  the  governor-general. 

La  Salle  was  then  in  a  position  to  control  the  greater 
part  of  the  Canadian  fur  trade;  but  with  the  most  fav- 
orable opportunity  for  commercial  gain,  he  was  no  mere 
merchant.  What  to  others  would  have  been  sufficient 
to  work  out  an  immense  fortune  and  control  of  the  lake 
commerce,  was  to  him  only  a  means  to  the  end  he  had 
ever  foremost  In  mind,  and  no  profit  of  trade  could  con- 
tent the  broad  ambition  of  his  scheming  brain.  Upon 
his  return  to  New  France  toward  the  close  of  1675,  he 
at  once  collected  a  faithful  band  of  sturdy  men,  and  with 
supplies,  arms,  and  tools  for  his  building  operations,  he 
set  forth  for  his  domains  In  the  wilderness.  For  more 
than  two  years  he  was  employed  In  rebuilding  the  fort 
and  stockade  on  a  much  larger  scale  than  before,  and,  in 
using  stone  for  the  main  walls,  he  had  a  fortress  almost 
impregnable    against    attack    by    hostile    savages.      His 


40  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

colony,  like  others  of  the  period,  was  slow  in  gaining 
any  considerable  numbers,  but  the  land  was  being  grad- 
ally  cleared  and  made  fit  for  cultivation.  In  trade  with 
the  Indians  he  was  most  successful,  and  at  every  turn 
cemented  the  friendly  relations  with  the  tribes  along  the 
St.  Lawrence. 

But  he  was  also  planning  weightier  things  than  these. 
He  decided  upon  an  expedition  up  Lake  Ontario  and 
through  the  connecting  river  to  the  upper  lakes  and  on 
to  Superior,  from  the  western  end  of  which  he  confi- 
dently expected  to  find  an  easy  communication  with  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  There  was  a  glowing  prospect  of  renown 
and  the  plaudits  of  the  world  in  this  conception.  It 
would  entirely  change  the  thoroughfare  of  the  world's 
commerce,  and  would  make  valuable  beyond  compu- 
tation the  possessions  of  France  in  America.  He  had 
meditated  the  building  of  sailing  vessels  to  facilitate  the 
commerce  of  the  lakes,  for  the  frail  birch-bark  canoe  of 
the  Indians  was  the  only  means  of  conveyance  on  the  lakes 
and  rivers.  The  largest  canoes  carried  three  tons  of 
furs  and  with  eight  men  to  paddle  them  required  many 
days  for  a  trip  along  the  shores,  often  storm-tossed,  and 
at  all  times  dangerous. 

That  Frontenac  favored  the  building  of  wooden  ves- 
sels propelled  by  sails  is  indicated  in  a  letter  sent  some 
time  before  to  the  Minister  of  Marine: 

"The  fort  at  Cataraqui  with  the  aid  of  a  vessel  now  building, 
will  command  Lake  Ontario,  keep  peace  with  the  Iroquois,  and 
cut  off  the  trade  with  the  English.  And  that  by  another  fort  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Niagara,  and  another  vessel  on  Lake  Erie,  we, 
the  French,  can  command  all  the  upper  lakes." 

At  the  close  of  1677  it  became  necessary  for  La  Salle 
to  make  another  journey  to  France,  chiefly  to  report  in 
person  of  the  progress  made  and  to  enlist  new  colonists 
in  his  broader  scheme  of  discovery  and  conquest.  At 
court  he  met  with  an  even  more  cordial  reception  than 
before,    and   received    from    the    king    new   honors    and 


2-      h, 


THE    FIRST   SAILING   VESSEL  41 

extended  privileges.  On  July  14,  1678,  he  set  sail  from 
Rochelle  for  Quebec  with  a  party  of  thirty  men  led  by  an 
Italian  named  Tonty,  whom  he  made  his  lieutenant  and 
who  through  a  long  association  was  the  one  man  La  Salle 
could  rely  upon  for  any  duty. 

After  a  hard  voyage  of  nearly  two  months,  the  small 
band  of  hardy  and  brave  men  landed  at  Quebec,  and  at 
once  made  ready  for  the  long  journey  of  four  hundred 
miles  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  They  paddled  close  to  the 
shore  to  avoid  the  swiftest  current  of  the  river,  passing 
many  Indian  villages  and  scattered  wigwams.  To  sur- 
mount the  rapids  in  the  river,  which  they  encountered 
soon  after  leaving  the  cluster  of  log  cabins  called  Mon- 
treal, it  was  necessary  to  use  poles  to  force  the  frail 
canoes  against  the  rushing,  tumbling  waters,  and  several 
times  they  came  near  being  wrecked.  Heavily  laden  with 
articles  for  trade  with  the  Indians,  and  with  tools  and  chan- 
dlery for  building  and  rigging  of  sailing  vessels,  besides 
the  food  supplies,  the  canoes  were  deep  in  the  water,  and 
it  was  only  the  skill  of  the  Indian  guides  that  saved  them 
from  disaster.  They  finally  reached  Fort  Frontenac 
safely. 

La  Salle,  whose  plans  were  well  formulated,  at  once 
set  his  carpenters  to  work  building  a  small  barge  of 
ten  tons'  burden;  and  on  the  eighteenth  of  November, 
Father  Hennepin,  La  Motte,  and  a  small  band  of  picked 
men,  using  paddles,  poles,  and  aided  by  a  piece  of  canvas 
stuck  up  for  a  sail,  left  the  fort  for  Niagara.  They 
kept  close  to  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  hoping 
thus  to  avoid  the  fury  of  the  north  winds,  which  at  this 
season  sweep  the  lakes,  rendering  navigation  in  such  frail 
craft  a  hazardous  undertaking.  In  eight  days  they 
reached  the  Indian  village  "  Taiaigon,"  supposed  to  have 
been  situated  near  the  site  of  the  city  of  Toronto,  and 
ran  for  safety  into  a  small  stream.  It  was  then  so  late 
in  the  season  that  ice  formed  during  the  night  in  the  quiet 
waters  of  the  creek,  and  the  voyagers  were  forced  to  cut 


42  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

their  rude  craft  out  with  axes.  On  the  fifth  of  December 
the  party  attempted  to  cross  the  lake  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Niagara,  but  darkness  overtook  them  and  they  were 
tossed  about  the  troubled  lake  several  miles  from  shore, 
during  a  comfortless  night.  The  following  day  they 
entered  the  Niagara  River  and  landed  on  the  eastern 
side  near  the  present  site  of  Fort  Niagara,  where  there 
was  then  a  small  village  of  the  Senecas. 

The  mighty  roar  of  the  cataract  was  borne  to  the  ears 
of  the  hardy  voyagers,  and  Hennepin,  eager  with  the 
spirit  of  discovery,  at  once  set  out  with  several  others 
to  ascend  the  river.  The  Indians  told  them  of  a  great 
fall  of  the  waters  from  a  cliff  higher  than  the  tallest 
pines,  and  they  pushed  on  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
ridge  of  Lewiston,  which  to  right  and  left  forms  the 
acclivity  of  a  vast  plateau.  For  seven  miles  the  upland 
is  rent  with  the  deep  chasm,  along  which  from  the  foot 
of  the  cataract  the  gathered  waters  of  four  Inland  Seas 
rush  and  tumble  with  the  fury  of  an  Alpine  torrent. 
Landing  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river  the  party  climbed 
the  heights  and  continued  along  the  rough  trail  used 
by  the  Indians,  until  they  came  to  an  opening  in  the 
forest  near  the  edge  of  the  chasm.  On  a  little  projecting 
point  of  ground  the  explorers  stood  as  the  panorama 
of  the  falls  spread  before  them,  the  first  Europeans  to 
behold  the  grand  spectacle.  The  account  of  Galinee,  in 
his  journal,  is  the  earliest  description  of  the  falls  recorded. 
He  wrote : 

"We  found  a  river  one-eighth  of  a  league  broad  and  extremely 
rapid,  forming  the  outlet  from  Lake  Erie  to  Lake  Ontario. 
The  depth  is  extraordinary,  for  we  found,  close  to  shore,  fifteen 
or  sixteen  fathoms  of  water.  This  outlet  is  forty  miles  long. 
It  has,  from  ten  to  twelve  miles  above  its  embouchure  into 
Lake  Ontario,  one  of  the  finest  cataracts  in  the  world.  All  the 
Indians  say  that  the  river  falls  from  a  rock  higher  than  the 
tallest  pines.  We  heard  the  roar  at  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles.  The  fall  gives  such  momentum  to  the  water  that  its 
current  prevented  our  ascending  except  with  great  difficulty. 


I 


THE    FIRST   SAILING   VESSEL  43 

The  current  above  the  falls  is  so  rapid  that  it  often  sucks  in 
deer  and  stags,  elk  and  roebuck,  endeavoring  to  cross  the  river, 
and  overwhelms  them  in  its  frightful  abyss." 

The  party  kept  on  around  the  falls,  and  three  miles 
beyond,  at  the  mouth  of  Chippewa  Creek  where  there 
were  quiet  waters  well  above  the  falls  and  upper  rapids, 
they  determined  upon  a  spot  for  the  location  of  the 
settlement  and  where  they  could  build  the  vessel  to  be 
rigged  with  sails.  The  building  of  the  wooden  craft,  in 
which  they  could  navigate  the  upper  lakes,  was  an  ardu- 
ous task.  It  was  to  be  accomplished  in  the  heart  of  Win- 
ter by  a  few  men,  at  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles 
from  any  settlements.  These  men  had  first  to  construct 
their  habitations  and  afterward  to  guard  them  from  the 
Iroquois,  whose  every  tradition  was  hostile  to  these  in- 
roads in  their  ancient  domains. 

Retracing  their  steps  the  next  day  they  rejoined  their 
companions  on  the  lower  Niagara,  and  finding  their 
barge  In  danger  from  the  mass  of  floating  Ice,  they 
brought  it  up  the  river  to  the  foot  of  the  bluff  and  with 
great  difficulty  hauled  It  up  on  the  western  bank.  Un- 
loading the  supplies  and  tools  and  the  materials  neces- 
sary for  shipbuilding,  they  packed  It  over  the  Indian 
trail.  After  several  days  of  the  roughest  travel  they 
arrived  at  the  place  selected  for  the  operations.  To 
carry  on  the  projects  with  any  hope  of  success  It  was 
essential  that  they  have  the  approbation  and  good  will 
of  the  Senecas,  the  tribe  residing  In  the  vicinity,  and  to 
this  end  Father  Hennepin,  La  Motte,  and  several  others 
—  all  well  armed  —  under  the  Instructions  of  La  Salle, 
went  on  an  embassy  to  this  nation. 

They  journeyed  about  ninety  miles  Into  the  heart  of 
the  wilderness  through  snow  knee-deep,  to  the  great  vil- 
lage of  the  Senecas.  A  council  fire  was  kindled  around 
which  the  Indians  assembled  with  their  usual  gravity, 
speeches  were  made  on  both  sides,  and  La  Motte  with 
a  profusion  of  gifts  and  a  promise  to  have  a  blacksmith 


44  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

at  Niagara  to  repair  the  Indians'  guns,  finally  succeeded 
in  their  mission.  The  party  went  back  to  their  settle- 
ment well  satisfied,  but  arrived  nearly  famished  and  half- 
frozen  by  the  severity  of  the  Winter.  Their  builders  had 
meanwhile  set  up  log  cabins  and  made  ready  for  the 
coming  of  more  workmen  to  rush  the  construction  of 
the  vessel,  so  that  the  long  contemplated  voyage  to  the 
Northwest  might  be  made  the  following  Summer. 

La  Salle,  who  had  remained  at  Frontenac  to  look  after 
and  foster  his  trade  with  the  Indians,  —  his  friends  the 
Hurons,  —  had  also  obtained  consent  from  the  Senecas  to 
the  building  of  the  wooden  vessel,  the  "big  canoe," 
Everything  being  tranquil  along  the  St.  Lawrence,  he 
set  out  with  his  second  party  about  the  middle  of  Jan- 
uary and  headed  for  the  Niagara.  In  the  clumsy  barge 
was  the  full  rigging,  anchors,  chains,  small  equipment, 
and  five  cannon,  to  complete  what  was  to  be  the  largest 
vessel  yet  launched  in  the  fresh  waters  of  the  Inland  Seas. 
Beset  with  furious  gales  and  grinding  ice,  the  little  craft, 
with  difficulty  kept  to  the  wind  by  the  improvised  and  rude 
sail,  made  but  slight  headway  and  was  tossed  about  the 
angry  lake  for  several  days  and  nights.  Tonty,  the  pilot, 
and  the  crew  labored  incessantly  to  keep  the  crude  barge 
afloat,  and  but  for  the  cheery  reassurance  of  La  Salle, 
they  would  have  given  themselves  up  for  lost. 

When  within  thirty  miles  of  the  Niagara,  a  dissen- 
sion arose  at  night  between  the  pilot  and  some  of  the 
crew,  and  the  craft  was  driven  ashore  on  a  sandy  beach. 
The  boat  was  wrecked  but  after  great  exposure  in  the 
icy  water.  La  Salle,  Tonty,  and  all  the  crew  reached 
the  land  safely.  All  the  supplies,  provisions,  and  clothing 
were  lost,  but  the  rigging,  cordage,  anchors,  and  chains 
were  saved  and  dragged  along  the  beach  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  A  few  miles  further  on  they  came  to  a 
small  cluster  of  Indian  wigwams,  the  occupants  of  which 
received  La  Salle  and  his  party  kindly  and  with  every 
mark  of  deference.     They  took  the  weary  travellers  into 


THE    FIRST   SAILING   VESSEL  45 

their  warm  cabins,  spread  skins  for  them  to  sleep  on  with 
their  feet  to  the  fire,  and  laid  before  them  their  choicest 
bits  of  game.  They  brought  whitefish  in  abundance,  the 
flavor  of  which  was  deemed  equal  to  that  of  the  golden 
brook  trout.  This  small  Indian  village  was  at  the  foot 
of  the  plateau  on  the  site  of  Queenstown,  Ontario. 

After  resting  a  few  days  and  refreshing  themselves. 
La  Salle  and  his  band  of  sturdy  followers  climbed  to 
the  top  of  the  steep  acclivity  dragging  the  heavy  equip- 
ment after  them.  It  was  now  midwinter;  the  weather 
was  intensely  cold  and  the  snow  deep,  rendering  travel 
with  burden  extremely  diflicult.  They  struggled  on  in 
single  file,  and  coming  to  the  falls  they  gazed  with  amaze- 
ment on  the  view  spread  before  them.  Pressing  onward 
they  soon  reached  the  large  log  cabin  in  the  midst  of  the 
dense  forest.  This  was  on  the  twentieth  of  January, 
1679,  and  the  little  company,  under  Hennepin,  were 
greatly  cheered  to  hear  the  voice  of  their  commander, 
who  was  in  very  truth  the  heart  and  soul  of  the  expe- 
dition. The  men  had  been  busy  erecting  the  warm 
cabins,  cutting  ship  timber,  and  preparing  ground  for 
the  building  of  the  vessel,  and  were  only  waiting  for 
more  workmen  to  begin  the  actual  operations  of  ship- 
building. A  few  days  after  his  arrival,  La  Salle  di- 
rected the  laying  of  the  keel  of  Le  Griffon,  which  was 
the  first  wooden  vessel  under  sail  to  voyage  Lakes  Erie, 
Huron,  and  Michigan.  He  himself  drove  the  first  bolt, 
and  in  every  way  offered  encouragement  to  his  men. 

But  the  severity  of  the  Winter  was  not  the  only  diffi- 
culty and  hardship  encountered.  Although  the  Indian 
chiefs  had  given  their  consent  to  the  building  of  the  ves- 
sel, the  surrounding  tribe  was  hostile  and  strongly  ob- 
jected to  the  erection  of  a  fort  on  the  lower  Niagara, 
for  such  was  a  part  of  the  plans  of  La  Salle.  The  settle- 
ment was  continually  thronged  with  Indians  curious  to 
see  all  that  was  going  on,  and,  while  some  were  friendly, 
many  more  showed  their  disapproval  of  the  shipbuilding. 


46  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

and  hindered  the  work  in  every  way  they  could  without 
causing  an  actual  outbreak.  The  situation  became  so 
serious  that  La  Salle  deemed  it  necessary  to  call  a  coun- 
cil. When  the  chiefs  of  the  neighboring  tribes  had  as- 
sembled and  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace,  La  Salle 
addressed  them  in  convincing  and  honest  words : 

"I  come  to  you  as  a  friend  and  brother.  I  wish  to  buy  your 
furs,  and  I  will  pay  you  for  them  in  guns  and  powder,  knives, 
hatchets,  kettles,  beads,  and  such  other  articles  as  you  want. 
Thus  you  can  do  me  good,  and  I  will  do  you  good.  We  can  be 
brothers.  I  am  building  a  boat  that  I  ma)^  visit  other  tribes, 
purchase  their  furs  and  carry  to  them  our  goods.  Let  us  smoke 
the  pipe  of  peace  and  shake  hands.  The  Great  Spirit  will  be 
pleased  to  see  us.  His  children  love  one  another.  I  wish  to 
establish  a  trading-post  here  where  I  can  collect  my  furs  and 
where  you  can  come  to  sell  them.  And  here  you  will  find 
mechanics  who  will  mend  your  guns,  knives,  and  kettles  when 
they  get  out  of  order." 

All  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace  and  grasped  hands 
in  token  of  friendship.  La  Salle  agreed  to  modify  his 
plans  of  building  a  fort  on  the  lower  Niagara,  and  a 
large  warehouse  protected  by  a  stockade  was  deter- 
mined on  in  its  stead.  The  opposition  of  the  Senecas 
to  the  establishment  of  a  military  force  on  the  Niagara 
was  well  founded,  for  the  location  was  the  key  to  four 
great  lakes  above  the  falls,  and  whoever  held  it  could 
control  the  fur  trade  of  the  vast  territory  beyond. 

La  Salle  now  believed  that  he  had  won  the  confidence 
and  good  will  of  the  warlike  Iroquois;  but  the  clouds 
of  misfortune  still  hung  over  his  prospects,  and  cast  a 
gloom  upon  the  future  that  would  have  disheartened 
any  man  of  a  less  ardent  temperament  and  resolute  spirit. 
It  was  not  the  suspicious  temper  of  the  Indians  with  which 
alone  he  had  to  contend.  His  men,  who  all  along  had 
seemed  to  have  little  interest  in  the  enterprise,  became 
discontented  with  their  lot,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
they  were  held  to  their  tasks.  The  hardships  and  dan- 
gers of  the   frontier  life  and  the  difficulties  under  which 


THE    FIRST   SAILING   VESSEL  47 

they  labored  in  shipbuilding  were  alone  enough  to  discour- 
age them,  had  they  not  been  tampered  with  as  well 
by  the  enemies  of  La  Salle.  The  unrestricted  rights  of 
traffic  with  the  Indians  amounting  to  a  monopoly  of  the 
fur  trade,  the  many  advantages  which  the  grants  of  the 
king  gave  him,  and  the  large  scale  of  his  operations, 
excited  the  enmity  of  others  dealing  in  furs,  and  the 
merchants  of  Canada,  and  they  endeavored  to  thwart  his 
plans. 

To  effect  this  end  they  sent  secret  agents  out  in  the 
guise  of  workmen  to  every  settlement  to  sow  seeds  of  dis- 
cord which  they  hoped  would  lead  to  mutiny  and  open 
revolt.  They  also  sent  men  among  the  savages  to  arouse 
their  jealousy  by  representing  that  La  Salle's  plan  of 
building  forts  and  vessels  on  the  borders  of  their  do- 
mains was  intended  only  to  command  their  trade  by 
dictating  the  terms  and  curbing  their  power.  La  Salle 
was  on  his  guard  against  these  artifices,  and  they  did 
not  deter  him  from  pursuing  his  purpose  of  pushing  for- 
ward with  all  speed  to  the  Northwest. 

The  work  of  constructing  the  vessel  progressed  slowly, 
for  the  timbers  were  green  and  wet,  their  tools  were 
of  the  crudest  kind,  and  the  wintry  blasts  hindered  the 
operations.  The  craft  was  to  be  of  about  sixty  tons' 
burden,  as  we  should  figure  its  capacity  to-day,  and  its 
design  followed  closely  the  prevailing  type  of  the  period 
in  which  the  explorers  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  from 
France  to  the  New  World.  Leaving  the  building  opera- 
tions and  his  affairs  in  the  hands  of  Tonty,  La  Salle  re- 
turned to  Frontenac,  for  matters  at  the  fort  demanded 
his  attention.  The  maintenance  of  the  fort  and  the 
expenses  of  the  expedition  had  to  be  borne  entirely  by 
himself,  and  the  profit  derived  from  his  trade  with  the 
Indians  furnished  the  necessary  funds.  Stopping  a  few 
days  near  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara,  he  began  the  con- 
struction of  the  warehouse  and  permanent  settlement  to 
be  enclosed  by  a  stockade.     This  work  progressed  during 


48  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

the  Winter  and  became  his  base  of  supplies  for  the  fron- 
tier portage  around  the  falls. 

Setting  forth  resolutely  for  the  long  journey  of  more 
than  two  hundred  miles  through  the  country  of  the  Iro- 
quois, La  Salle  was  accompanied  by  only  two  men  and 
a  dog  which  dragged  the  baggage  over  the  ice  and  snow. 
A  sack  of  parched  corn  was  the  extent  of  the  provisions, 
for  they  depended  much  on  the  game  which  abounded 
in  the  nativ^e  forest.  Upon  arriving  at  Frontenac,  La 
Salle  at  once  laid  plans  and  prepared  for  an  extension 
of  his  trade  in  the  Northwest.  As  soon  as  the  ice  had 
broken  up  along  the  shores  of  the  lake  he  despatched 
fifteen  men  in  canoes,  laden  with  supplies  and  merchan- 
dise for  the  exchange  of  furs,  to  the  trading-posts  along 
the  upper  Huron  and  Michigan  shores.  These  men 
were  provided  with  every  article  of  trade  with  the  Indi- 
ans, and  in  the  collection  of  a  large  quantity  of  furs, 
La  Salle  hoped  to  place  his  financial  affairs  beyond  any 
misfortune  which  might  overtake  him.  His  trading  oper- 
ations were  on  a  large  scale,  and  had  he  contented  him- 
self with  building  up  the  valuable  seigniory  of  Frontenac, 
thus  leaving  the  exploration  of  the  Northwest  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, he  could  easily  have  controlled  the  entire  fur 
trade  of  the  Interior.  The  profits  of  the  fur  trade  were 
large,  and  it  was  simply  an  exchange  of  commodities. 
A  poor  Indian  would  bring  In  rich  furs,  to  him  scarcely 
of  any  value,  but  worth  perhaps  ten  dollars  In  London 
or  Paris.  He  would  receive  in  exchange  a  strong,  keen- 
edged  knife,  worth  In  London  or  Paris  about  a  half  dol- 
lar, but  to  him  worth  ten  times  the  furs.  His  joy  was 
great  as  he  showed  the  keen  cutting  knives  which 
shaved  down  the  bows  and  arrows  so  smoothly  in  con- 
trast to  the  laborious  use  of  hard  stones.  Imagine  the 
delight  with  which  an  Indian  woman,  for  the  first  time 
In  her  life,  hung  a  stout  Iron  kettle  over  her  cabin  fire. 

The  following  table  taken  from  the  "  Voyage  of  Capt. 
Richard  Lode"  ^ivcs  a  clear  Insight  into  the  terms  upon 


I 


THE   FIRST   SAILING   VESSEL  49 

which  exchanges  were  made  with  the  Indians.  Beaver 
skins  were  then  the  standard  currency  employed  in  trade, 
and  values  were  based  on  them.  The  Indians  gave  in 
exchange  for  — 


I  gun 10  beaver  skins 

^  pound  of  powder      

4  pounds  of  shot 

I  axe      

6  knives     

I  pound  of  glass  beads 

I  laced  coat      6 

I  laced  female  dress 5 

I  pound  tobacco      I 

I  comb  and  looking-glass  ....       2 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  LAUNCH  AND  VOYAGE  OF   LE  GRIFFON 

Completion  and  Launch  —  Fitting  out  and  Armament  —  How  Named  — 
ToNTY  Heads  Party  to  Trade  on  Lake  Erie  —  Arrival  of  La  Salle  at 
THE  Chippewa  Settlement  —  Sails  Away  on  the  Griffin  —  AIeets 
Tonty  and  Party  and  Continues  on  through  the  Straits  —  Gale  on 
Lake  Huron  —  Arrives  at  Michilimackinac  —  Hostility  of  Indians 
AND  own  Countrymen  —  Reasons  for  this  —  Sends  Tonty  to  Sault 
Ste.  Marie  to  Capture  Deserters  —  Griffin  Sails  for  Green  Bay  — 
Loads  Furs  and  Starts  Back  under  Command  of  Pilot  to  Michili- 
mackinac and  Niagara  —  Never  Heard  of  After  —  Probably  Wrecked 
—  La  Salle  Continues  Explorations  Southward  in  Canoes. 

WHILE  La  Salle  remained  at  Frontenac  the  ship- 
builders on  the  Niagara,  constantly  harassed  by 
the  hostility  of  the  Indians,  were  applying  themselves 
diligently  to  their  tasks.  The  activity  was  largely  a  meas- 
ure of  safety  to  provide  for  their  own  defence,  for  to 
complete  the  hull  and  to  launch  it  into  the  stream  would 
give  them  a  floating  fortress,  secure  from  any  attack  of 
the  savages.  On  several  occasions  attempts  were  made 
to  burn  the  vessel  on  the  stocks,  but  with  guards  at  night 
and  constant  vigilance  the  enemy's  purpose  was  not  ac- 
complished. By  April  the  work  had  so  far  progressed 
that  Tonty  decided  to  put  the  vessel  in  the  water  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment.  Early  in  May  when  all  had 
been  made  ready,  the  vessel  slipped  into  her  natural 
element  —  the  quiet  waters  of  the  stream  —  with  loud 
shouts  of  the  workmen  and  the  roar  of  cannon  and  small 
arms,  all  of  which  made  the  forest  resound  with  a  tumult 
of  sound  such  as  was  never  before  heard  by  the  savages, 
who  lined  the  shore  and  gazed  with  amazement  upon 
the  scene.  That  night  the  little  band  of  men  slung  their 
hammocks  under  the  deck  of  their  ship  anchored  at  a  safe 


VOYAGE    OF   LE   GRIFFON  51 

distance  from  the  shore,  and  with  the  protection  of  the 
terrifying  cannon  and  their  small  arms,  and  with  a  watch 
on  deck,  they  slept  at  ease  for  the  first  time  in  months. 

They  were  hardly  relieved  from  the  danger  of  the 
treachery  of  the  Senecas  ere  new  difficulties  arose  to 
embarrass  them.  The  supply  of  provisions  had  run  low, 
and  the  canoes  with  abundant  stores  —  sent  by  La  Salle 
from  Fort  Frontenac  —  were  wrecked  on  the  bleak 
shores  of  Lake  Ontario.  To  add  to  their  distress  the 
Indians  would  not  sell  them  corn  or  procure  game  for 
them,  and  their  mess  was  finally  reduced  to  the  game 
that  two  faithful  Indian  guides  of  the  Huron  tribe,  who 
had  come  with  them  from  Quebec,  could  procure  for 
them. 

The  fitting  out  of  the  vessel  continued  and  by  early 
Summer  it  was  completed  and  ready  for  its  voyage  of 
conquest  and  discovery,  which,  however,  fate  had  decreed 
should  not  be  realized.  It  was  well  rigged  with  sails 
unfurled  from  two  masts,  and  amply  provided  with  cord- 
age, anchors,  and  cables,  and  powder  and  shot  for  the 
cannon.  This  part  of  the  armament  consisted  of  three 
brass  pieces,  about  twelve-pounders  in  size,  and  two  odd 
pieces  called  "  arquebuses,"  which  frowned  ominously 
from  the  foi-ward  deck.  The  main  deck  was  elevated  well 
above  the  hull,  and  still  above  this  extended  a  sort  of 
upper  cabin,  the  top  of  which  was  surmounted  by  the 
figure  of  an  eagle.  From  the  deviation  floated  the  flag 
of  France,  the  whole  effect  exerting  a  marked  impression 
upon  the  unfriendly  Indians. 

The  name  Le  Griffon  (or  Griffin)  was  given  it  by  La 
Salle  in  honor  of  Count  Frontenac,  whose  armorial 
bearings  were  ornamented  with  a  figure  of  that  mythical 
animal,  which  was  frequently  represented  as  a  cross  be- 
between  a  lion  and  an  eagle,  having  the  body  and  legs 
of  the  former  and  the  beak  and  wings  of  the  latter. 
Hennepin,  however,  in  his  narrative  relates  that  the  name 
was  chosen  by  La  Salle  to  protect  the  vessel  against  fire 


52  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

with  which  it  was  threatened.  With  all  the  arduous  work 
of  constructing  the  vessel  some  of  the  more  expert  work- 
men devoted  themselves  to  the  carving  of  the-  large  figure 
of  the  chimerical  creature,  which  was  placed  with  much 
pride  and  joy  on  the  prow,  and  added  much  to  the  for- 
midable appearance  of  the  craft. 

While  waiting  for  La  Salle  to  come  from  the  fort 
with  fresh  supplies  and  merchandise,  to  take  command 
of  the  expedition,  Tonty,  with  a  few  select  men,  collected 
together  what  remained  of  the  articles  of  Indian  trade, 
and  in  canoes  started  on  July  twenty-second  along  the 
northern  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  His  purpose  was  to  ex- 
tend the  trade  to  the  western  confines  of  the  lake  and  to 
secure  furs  and  supplies,  the  proceeds  of  which  would 
go  far  toward  stocking  the  warehouse  on  the  lower 
Niagara.  He  finally  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
River,  the  strait  through  which  flows  the  combined 
waters  of  the  three  upper  lakes.  Here  he  waited  for 
the  coming  of  the  Griffin  with  La  Salle  and  the  adven- 
turers. 

During  the  Spring  and  early  Summer  of  this  year 
(1679),  while  La  Salle  remained  at  Frontenac  attending 
to  his  commercial  affairs,  he  exerted  every  effort  to  coun- 
teract the  manoeuvres  of  his  enemies,  who  were  more  active 
than  ever  in  their  attempts  to  defeat  his  plans.  They 
caused  reports  to  be  spread  that  he  was  about  to  engage 
in  a  most  hazardous  undertaking,  requiring  a  large  ex- 
penditure of  money,  and  from  which  there  was  little 
probability  of  his  ever  returning,  and  that  because  of  his 
unyielding  temper  his  fur  trade  would  come  to  ruin. 
Alarmed  at  these  rumors  his  creditors  in  Quebec  seized 
upon  his  effects  there  and  sold  them  at  great  loss  to  their 
owner.  There  seemed  to  be  no  remedy  or  recourse, 
and  La  Salle  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the  vexations 
patiently,  although  his  property  at  Frontenac  and  his 
lands  surrounding  the  fort  were  of  value  more  than 
double  the  amount  of  his  debts.     His  undaunted  spirit 


VOYAGE    OF   LE   GRIFFON  S3 

and  strength  of  purpose  prevailed,  and  he  was  finally 
able  to  leave  the  fort  with  large  supplies  of  provisions 
and  goods  for  trade,  bound  for  Niagara.  Following 
the  usual  route  up  the  lake  in  birch-bark  canoes,  they 
trailed  around  the  falls,  and  on  the  thirtieth  of  July, 
came  to  the  camp  at  the  little  shipyard.  La  Salle  was 
overjoyed  to  find  the  Griffin  fully  equipped  and  ready  for 
the  voyage,  and  the  men  in  good  spirits  with  the  pros- 
pect of  further  adventure. 

The  current  of  the  river  above  the  falls  had  hitherto 
been  untried,  and  since  it  was  very  swift.  La  Salle  did  not 
venture  to  trust  to  the  wind  power  of  their  sails  alone 
in  ascending  the  stream.  By  the  aid  of  a  long  line 
stretched  to  the  bank,  the  Griffin  was  cautiously  towed 
by  twelve  men  through  the  rapids  and  moored  in  quiet 
water  at  the  head  of  an  island,  three  miles  from  Lake 
Erie.  This  they  named  Squaw  Island.  For  several  days 
they  were  held  there  by  contrary  winds,  but  on  the  sev- 
enth of  August,  a  brisk  northeast  wind  was  deemed, 
favorable  and,  with  thirty-four  men  on  board,  the  sails 
were  unfurled,  the  anchors  raised,  and  the  vessel's  prow 
turned  toward  Lake  Erie.  As  the  balloon-like  sails  filled 
and  the  little  vessel  bore  away  against  the  current,  the 
five  cannon  belched  forth  a  salute,  quickly  followed  by 
a  rattle  of  musketry.  The  forest  resounded  with  the  joy- 
ful shouts  of  the  men;  and  the  great  throng  of  Indians 
along  the  shore,  augmented  by  a  large  band  of  Iro- 
quois returning  from  the  warpath,  gazed  In  mute  amaze- 
ment on  the  novel  scene.  It  was  a  matter  of  wonder  to 
them  that  the  "  pale  faces  "  should  have  built  and  armed 
a  floating  fort  In  so  short  a  time.  As  the  Griffin  gained 
headway,  and  the  Indians  realized  that  It  was  sailing 
away,  they  gave  vent  to  loud  shouts  of  "  Ot-kon,  Ot-kon- 
00,"  the  name  they  gave  the  French,  meaning  "  pene- 
trating minds."  The  word  corresponding  to  this  In  the 
Seneca  language  was  "  Ot-goh,"  meaning  "  supernat- 
ural beings  or  spirits." 


54  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

The  Griffin  was  soon  well  out  of  the  river  beyond  the 
impediment  of  the  current,  and  with  the  men  chanting 
the  "  Te  Deum  Laudamus  "  and  with  the  devotionals  of 
Fathers  Hennepin,  Ribourde,  and  Zenobe,  the  explorers 
committed  their  destiny  to  the  great  waters.  The  vast 
expanse  of  the  Inland  Seas  over  which  they  were  about 
to  navigate  had  never  floated  larger  craft  than  the  frail 
bark  canoe  of  the  Indian,  timidly  coasting  along  the 
shores.  But  the  little  sailing  vessel,  manned  by  the  in- 
trepid voyagers,  guided  by  the  resolute  spirit  of  their 
leader,  ploughed  its  way  into  Lake  Erie  as  a  pioneer  of 
the  great  fleets  of  modern  lake  commerce.  Without  a 
chart  to  mark  the  hidden  dangers,  or  even  a  map  to 
show  the  contour  of  the  northern  shore,  they  shaped 
their  course  boldly  into  the  lake,  confiding  in  the  strength 
of  their  vessel  and  the  skill  and  watchfulness  of  the  mari- 
ners. They  were  fully  aware  of  the  perils  of  navigation 
in  the  open  lake  subject  to  the  fury  of  violent  storms, 
but  were  hardly  prepared  for  the  sound  of  breakers  di- 
rectly In  their  course.  La  Salle  had  seen  a  rude  chart  of 
Galinee's,  made  ten  years  before,  and  he  remembered  a 
point  of  land  extending  out  into  the  lake  southeasterly  and 
near  its  eastern  end.  He  ordered  the  course  changed, 
sailing  with  a  light  breeze  for  several  hours,  and  taking 
soundings  constantly.  Suddenly  the  depth  registered  only 
three  fathoms,  but  the  fog  lifted  at  the  moment  and  re- 
vealed close  off  their  starboard  bow  the  sandy  beach  of 
Long  Point.  The  caution  and  vigilance  of  La  Salle  had 
saved  them  from  probable  wreck.  They  soon  doubled 
the  dangerous  point,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  "  St. 
Francis." 

Toward  the  close  of  the  second  day  they  approached 
the  islands  scattered  so  bountifully  in  the  western  part 
of  the  lake,  from  shore  to  shore  of  which  extended  un- 
broken forests  without  the  faintest  signs  of  habitation. 
The  morning  of  the  following  day,  with  the  lake  smooth 
and   with   light   winds,    they   doubled   Point   Pelee,    and, 


VOYAGE    OF   LE   GRIFFON  55 

after  passing  many  small  islands  in  the  distance  on 
the  port  side,  they  set  their  course  for  the  mouth  of  the 
strait  which  connects  Lake  Erie  with  the  Lake  of  the 
Hurons.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  tenth  of  August, 
La  Salle  descried  on  the  western  shore  the  three  col- 
umns of  smoke  which  Tonty  gave  as  a  signal  of  the  loca- 
tion of  their  camp.  In  a  few  hours  the  Griffin  was 
anchored  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream  upon  whose  bank 
the  leader  of  the  expedition  and  his  lieutenant  met  after 
months  of  harrowing  adventure. 

The  following  day  the  explorers  continued  their  jour- 
ney by  sailing  up  the  broad  strait,  but  with  the  utmost 
vigilance,  as  hitherto  these  waters  had  been  navigated 
only  by  canoes  hugging  the  forest-bound  banks.  Hen- 
nepin was  much  impressed  with  the  beautiful  scenery  of 
the  straits,  which  he  graphically  described  in  his  nar- 
rative : 

"The  straits  are  thirty  leagues  long  bordered  by  low  and 
level  banks,  and  navigable  for  their  entire  length;  that  on  either 
hand  are  vast  prairies  extending  back  to  hills  covered  with 
vines,  fruit  trees,  thickets,  and  tall  forest  trees,  so  distributed  as 
to  seem  rather  the  work  of  art  than  of  nature.  .  .  .  The  in- 
habitants who  will  have  the  good  fortune  to  some  day  settle 
on  this  pleasant  and  fertile  strait  will  bless  the  memory  of 
those  who  pioneered  the  way,  and  crossed  Lake  Erie  by  more 
than  a  hundred  leagues  of  an  unknown  navigation." 

As  the  Griffin  was  too  large  a  craft  to  be  propelled  by 
oars  or  paddles,  or  to  be  poled  against  the  strong  cur- 
rent of  the  stream,  their  progress  was  slow,  for  they 
could  make  no  advance  except  by  strong  southerly  winds. 
In  four  or  five  days  they  had  traversed  the  length  of  the 
lower  strait,  about  twenty-eight  miles,  to  which  La  Salle 
gave  the  name  Detroit,  and  entered  upon  the  waters  of 
a  small  lake.  The  calendar  day  was  the  festival  of 
Saint  Claire,  and  as  they  sailed  serenely  over  the  clear 
blue  waters,  they  named  the  lake  after  the  patron  saint. 
Its  extreme  length  was  about  twenty-five  miles,   and  at 


S6  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

its  head  the  voyagers  encountered  a  wide  expanse  of 
marsh,  through  which  the  upper  strait  flowed  in  numerous 
channels.     Of  these  Hennepin  wrote: 

"We  found  the  mouth  of  St,  Clair  River  divided  into  many 
narrow  channels  full  of  sand  bars  and  shoals.  After  carefully 
sounding  them  all  we  discovered  a  very  fine  one  two  or  three 
fathoms  deep,  and  almost  a  league  wide  through  its  entire 
length." 

At  this  stage  of  the  voyage  they  were  delayed  several 
days  by  contrary  winds,  but  ere  the  week  had  passed  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  great  bay  of  the  Hurons,  on  the 
far  eastern  shores  of  which,  sixty-four  years  before,  their 
brothers  had  planted  one  of  the  earliest  missions  in  North 
America.  As  they  approached  the  troubled  waters  tossed 
by  a  northerly  gale,  the  current  became  very  swift  and 
they  could  advance  no  further.  The  following  day,  the 
twenty-fourth  of  August,  and  the  thirteenth  after  leav- 
ing Lake  Erie,  they  resorted  to  the  device  of  towing  their 
vessel  above  the  rapids,  which  Hennepin  pronounced 
almost  as  strong  as  those  at  Niagara.  In  this  novel 
and  practical  way  they  soon  reached  the  deep  waters  of 
Lake  Huron,  and  standing  thus  on  an  open  sea,  they  felt 
more  secure,  and  with  renewed  hope  set  sail  for  their 
northern  destination,  Michilimackinac. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  La  Salle  found  it  necessary 
to  take  actual  command  of  the  Griffin,  owing  to  negli- 
gence of  the  pilot,  and  it  was  well  that  he  did  so,  for  at 
night  a  fierce  storm  arose  which  increased  to  a  gale,  and 
the  little  craft  was  tossed  about  in  the  tempest  which 
filled  the  boldest  mariners  with  dismay.  Even  the  reso- 
lute soul  of  La  Salle  quailed  before  the  terrors  that  sur- 
rounded them;  and  through  their  united  efforts  to  keep 
the  vessel  afloat,  he  resolved,  if  they  should  be  delivered 
from  their  perils,  that  the  first  chapel  erected  in  the  newly 
discovered  country  should  be  dedicated  to  Saint  Anthony 
of  Padua,  to  whom  their  supplications  were  then  being 


I 


VOYAGE    OF   LE   GRIFFON  57 

directed.  The  pilot,  however,  bewailed  his  fate  of 
perishing  in  a  fresh-water  lake,  after  having  gained  some 
renown  in  braving  the  storms  and  rage  of  the  ocean  in 
every  clime.  The  fury  of  the  tempest  finally  abated,  the 
winds  ceased,  and  as  the  waters  became  calm,  the  de- 
spair of  the  intrepid  mariners  was  changed  to  rejoicing. 
On  the  twenty-seventh  of  August  a  favoring  breeze  car- 
ried the  little  vessel  past  the  large  island  in  the  straits 
connecting  Lake  Huron  with  De  Lac  Illinois  (Lake  Michi- 
gan), and  soon  after  it  was  anchored  safely  in  the  cove 
of  the  island  called  by  the  Indians,  Michilimackinac,  or 
the  "  big  turtle."  Here  a  scene  opened  up  before  them 
like  a  vision  of  enchantment.  The  waters  of  the  bay  on 
three  sides  were  fringed  with  forest-covered  hills,  and 
on  the  sandy  beach  were  clustered  the  wigwams  of  the 
friendly  Hurons,  Ottawas,  and  a  few  Frenchmen  who 
were  trading  there. 

The  sons  of  the  forest  looked  in  wonder  at  the  ''  big 
wood  canoe,"  as  they  called  it,  the  first  they  had  ever 
seen,  and  their  astonishment  was  increased  when  they 
went  aboard  and  heard  the  roar  of  the  cannon.  A 
hundred  canoes  swarmed  around  the  vessel  bringing  from 
the  shore  the  squaws  and  half-naked  children.  In  an- 
swer to  the  salute  from  the  vessel,  the  warriors  on  land 
fired  three  volleys  of  musketry,  and  stood  waiting  to 
receive  the  voyagers.  Aware  of  the  influence  of  out- 
ward appearance  and  show  on  the  minds  of  the  Indians, 
La  Salle  clothed  himself  in  a  scarlet  robe  edged  with 
gold,  and  wore  a  military  cap  highly  plumed.  Attended 
by  his  lieutenants,  also  well  dressed  and  armed,  he  went 
on  shore  to  make  a  visit  of  ceremony  on  the  chiefs,  and 
was  entertained  with  great  civility.  The  missionaries 
then  celebrated  mass  in  thankfulness  for  their  escape  from 
the  fury  of  the  waves. 

On  the  opposite  shore  of  the  strait  was  a  settlement 
of  Hurons  and  the  mission  of  St.  Ignatius,  which 
Father    Marquette    had    established    ten    years    before. 


58  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

The  habitations  stood  on  an  eminence  and  were  pro- 
tected by  palisades;  and  they  were  well  armed  with  guns 
obtained  from  the  traders.  The  little  bay  formed  a 
natural  harbor  of  refuge  from  the  fierce  storms  that 
swept  the  narrow  straits  from  one  lake  to  the  other,  and 
for  other  reasons  was  a  decided  point  of  vantage.  When 
La  Salle  visited  the  mission  he  found  the  few  settlers  and 
the  Indians  not  well  disposed  toward  him,  and  he  had 
not  far  to  look  for  the  cause. 

The  enemies  of  La  Salle  in  Canada,  not  content  with 
harassment  at  Quebec  and  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  had 
some  time  before  sent  emissaries  on  a  like  mission  to  the 
upper  lake  country.  These  men,  by  using  the  same  spe- 
cious arguments  as  had  resulted  in  much  annoyance  and 
loss  to  the  merchant  explorer,  had  succeeded  in  deceiving 
the  few  of  his  countrymen  in  that  region  as  to  the  true 
purpose  and  aim  of  the  expedition.  They  had  also 
poisoned  the  minds  of  the  Indians,  who  had  been  made 
to  believe  that  La  Salle  designed  not  only  to  monopolize 
the  trade  in  furs,  but  also  to  invade  their  country  and  sub- 
due them.  Nor  were  the  enemies  satisfied  to  stop  there, 
for  they  had  attacked  the  expedition  itself  by  waylaying 
the  advance  guard.  The  fifteen  men  sent  ahead  in  the 
early  Spring  in  canoes  laden  with  merchandise  for  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians  had  been  tampered  with,  and  about 
half  of  them  had  deserted,  some  of  whom  had  joined 
the  roving  bands  of  Ottawas  in  the  north  country.  Others 
of  them,  instead  of  going  southward  to  trade  with  the 
Illinois,  as  they  had  been  directed,  had  spent  the  Summer 
in  hunting  and  fishing  with  the  savages,  and  wasted  the 
goods  intrusted  to  them.  After  diligent  search  La  Salle 
discovered  and  seized  four  of  the  deserters,  and  sent 
Tonty  with  two  companions  In  a  canoe  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie, 
to  capture  two  others  who,  he  learned,  had  joined  an  In- 
dian camp  In  that  vicinity.  La  Salle  then  set  about  to 
restore  the  prestige  of  his  commercial  affairs,  and  suc- 
ceeded  in   his  trade  with  the   Indians  to   the   extent   of 


VOYAGE    OF   LE   GRIFFON  59 

securing  several  tons  of  skins  which  he  stored  at  Michili- 
mackinac. 

As  the  season  was  well  advanced  and  Tonty  likely  to 
be  absent  on  his  mission  for  a  number  of  days,  La  Salle 
resolved  to  press  forward  without  his  lieutenant,  and  on 
September  12  set  sail  for  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Illinois.  After  a  pleasant  run  of  forty  leagues,  the  voy- 
agers sighted  an  island  situated  at  the  entrance  of  a 
large  bay  called  "  Le  Grande  Bay  "  (Green  Bay) ,  and  in 
a  sheltered  harbor  on  the  south  side  of  the  island  they 
anchored  the  Griffin  and  paddled  ashore.  Here  they 
found  a  village  of  the  Potawatomies,  who  were  very 
friendly,  and  La  Salle  was  filled  with  joy  to  meet  the 
others  of  the  fifteen  traders,  who  had  remained  faith- 
ful to  their  trust.  They  had  visited  the  tribes  along 
the  bay  and  collected  a  large  quantity  of  valuable  skins, 
amounting  to  about  ten  tons,  and  had  stored  them, 
waiting  the  arrival  of  the  Griffin. 

Winter  in  the  north  country  was  now  rapidly  approach- 
ing and  La  Salle,  fearful  of  having  his  vessel  ice-bound  for 
months  in  the  harbor,  decided  upon  an  important  move. 
He  directed  that  all  the  furs  in  store  there  and  as  many 
more  as  he  could  secure  be  loaded  in  the  Griffin,  and 
that  it  be  despatched  to  Michilimackinac.  There  the 
furs  that  he  had  collected  were  to  be  taken  on  and  the 
vessel  was  to  proceed  to  Niagara.  From  the  warehouse 
on  the  lower  river  the  valuable  cargo  of  the  Griffin,  worth 
fully  fifty  thousand  francs,  was  to  be  carried  to  Quebec 
to  liquidate  his  debts,  and  reestablish  his  credit  where  his 
affairs  had  suffered.  This  plan,  which  was  evidently  a 
sudden  resolution,  was  not  liked  by  the  crew  of  adven- 
turers, for  they  would  be  obliged  to  pursue  their  route 
in  canoes,  exposed  to  many  hardships  and  dangers.  But 
La  Salle,  who  seldom  asked  counsel  of  any  person,  and 
was  not  easily  diverted  from  any  object  upon  which  he 
had  set  his  mind,  doubtless  thought  that  his  men  could 
not  reasonably  complain  of  hardships  which  he  was  to 
share  in  the  same  measure. 


6o  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

On  the  eighteenth  of  September,  with  a  fair  breeze 
and  a  smooth  sea,  the  Griffin  sailed  away  from  Green 
Bay,  with  a  crew  of  five  men  and  the  pilot  Luc,  gave 
a  parting  salute  of  a  single  gun,  and  soon  passed  from 
sight  of  her  enterprising  builder.  He  was  destined 
never  to  see  his  vessel  again,  for  it  disappeared  from  the 
face  of  the  waters,  and  was  never  after  heard  from.  A 
severe  storm  had  risen  during  the  night,  and  while  no 
trace  of  the  little  craft  or  of  its  cargo  was  ever  found, 
it  is  probable  that  it  was  driven  ashore  and  wrecked. 
In  that  case  the  crew  must  have  perished,  or,  having  been 
taken  captive  by  the  Indians,  marched  off  to  the  great 
unknown  regions  of  the  Northwest. 

La  Salle  at  once  reorganized  his  band  of  explorers, 
and  resorting  to  the  frail  bark  canoes,  and  with  scanty 
supplies,  they  set  out  for  the  country  of  the  Illinois,  far 
to  the  south.  As  the  months  went  by  and  no  tidings 
came  of  the  Griffin,  he  almost  despaired;  and  as  Tonty, 
who  joined  him  on  the  southern  shores  of  the  lake,  had 
no  word  of  the  missing  vessel,  he  finally  gave  It  and  the 
rich  cargo  up  for  lost.  The  belief  grew  in  him  to  a 
settled  conviction  that,  on  account  of  the  former  dissen- 
sion with  the  pilot  on  Lake  Huron,  the  vessel  had  been 
treacherously  sunk  by  him  and  the  sailors  to  whom  it  had 
been  intrusted.  They  could  have  run  it  ashore  easily 
and  made  away  with  the  supplies  and  much  of  the  furs, 
and  become  lost  to  civilization  in  the  wilderness. 

This  conviction  of  La  Salle  was  strengthened  four 
years  later  by  the  report  that  an  Indian,  three  years 
before,  had  seen  a  white  man,  who,  from  descriptions 
given,  resembled  the  pilot,  a  prisoner  among  a  tribe  of 
Indians  beyond  the  Mississippi.  He  had  been  captured 
with  four  others,  on  the  Great  River,  while  making  their 
way  in  canoes  laden  with  goods,  toward  the  Sioux. 
These  circumstances  convinced  La  Salle  of  the  fate  of 
the  crew,  even  if  they  did  not  hint  of  the  disaster  that 
befell  his  vessel.  There  is  a  tradition  among  the  Jesuits 
that  the   Griffin  was   driven   ashore   during   a   gale,   the 


VOYAGE    OF   LE   GRIFFON  6i 

crew   murdered,    and   the   vessel   pounded   to   pieces   on 
the  beach. 

Of  the  end  of  the  Griffin,  Hennepin  in  his  narrative 
wrote : 

"The  ship  was  hardly  a  league  from  the  coast  when  it  was 
tossed  up  by  a  violent  storm  in  such  a  manner  that  our  men 
were  never  heard  from  since.  And  it  is  supposed  that  the 
vessel  struck  on  the  sand  and  was  there  buried." 

In  the  short  space  of  one  year  the  Griffin  had  been 
built,  launched,  fully  rigged  and  armed  as  a  floating  fort- 
ress. It  had  voyaged  throughout  the  length  of  two  great 
lakes,  and,  venturing  into  still  greater  waters,  had  been 
lost,  the  sea  giving  up  no  evidences  of  its  fate. 


CHAPTER    V 

NAVIGATION    FROM    1680    TO    THE    WAR    OF    1 8 12 

La  Salle  Paddles  down  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers  —  First  Sailing 
V'essel  on  Lake  Superior  —  Trade  during  First  Half  of  Eighteenth 
Century  —  Vessels  Built  during  the  Last  Half  of  Same  —  Boundary 
Line  between  United  States  and  Canada  Defined  —  Tide  of  Immi- 
gration Sets  in  —  After  1796  —  Previous  Routes  of  Travel  —  First 
American  Vessel  in  1789  —  Its  Voyage  —  Other  V'essels  and  Traf- 
fic —  Commerce  at  Beginning  of  Nineteenth  Century  —  Naval 
Forces  on  Lakes  —  Earliest  American  War  Vessels  —  Battle  of 
Lake  Erie  in  1813. 

THE  loss  of  the  Griffin  with  its  rich  cargo  of  furs, 
which  were  to  have  been  used  to  settle  a  large  in- 
debtedness, was  a  severe  blow  to  the  commercial  prestige 
of  La  Salle,  and  his  financial  affairs  at  Frontenac  and 
Quebec  for  a  time  were  in  a  precarious  state.  To  add 
to  his  misfortunes  and  the  difficulties  of  trade  which 
seemed  to  be  pursuing  him,  a  vessel  laden  with  goods 
for  trading  with  the  Indians  was  wrecked  on  the  lower  St. 
Lawrence  River,  and,  there  being  no  marine  insurance 
in  those  days,  the  loss  was  complete  and  doubly  felt. 
The  destruction  of  his  property  at  both  ends  of  a  long 
route,  on  the  one  hand  the  skins  and  peltries,  the 
richest  products  of  the  country,  and  on  the  other,  the 
articles  of  trade  by  which  they  were  obtained,  must  have 
been  discouraging  enough  without  the  constant  scheming 
of  his  enemies  to  overthrow  him.  Through  all  his  trials 
he  maintained  the  steadfast  purpose  of  exploration,  and 
with  Tonty  and  a  few  trustworthy  followers,  he  pushed 
on  toward  the  west  and  south.  Descending  the  Illinois 
River  and  the  Mississippi,  the  second  party  of  French- 
men to  behold  the  Great  River,  the  "  Father  of  Waters," 


NAVIGATION    FROM    1680   TO    1812     63 

floated  leisurely  with  the  current,  and  passing  many  wig- 
wams and  some  small  Indian  villages,  they  finally  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  Here  they  determined 
beyond  doubt  the  true  outlet  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  disasters  which  befell  La  Salle  on  the  Inland  Seas 
evidently  Were  a  deterrent  to  the  fulfilment  of  any 
plan  he  may  have  had  to  build  more  sailing  vessels,  and 
other  navigators  of  the  lakes  from  fear  of  like  ill  fortune 
and  from  lack  of  rigging,  anchors,  hardware,  and  other 
materials,  did  not  undertake  shipbuilding.  For  nearly 
three-quarters  of  a  century  no  sails  were  unfurled  upon 
the  waters  of  the  lower  lakes,  the  fur  traders  depending 
entirely  upon  the  native  canoes  and  the  rude  boats  of  their 
own  making.  In  1731,  more  than  fifty  years  after  the 
short  career  of  the  Griffin,  La  Ronde,  a  Frenchman, 
built  the  first  sailing  vessel,  a  bark  of  forty  tons,  on  Lake 
Superior,  and  was  rewarded  with  a  monopoly  of  the  fur 
trade  at  La  Pointe,  the  only  port  on  the  south  shore  then 
and  for  a  century  afterward.  All  the  materials,  cordage, 
and  anchors  were  transported  from  the  lower  lake  port  as 
far  as  the  Sault  portage  in  canoes,  and,  in  the  depths  of 
the  northern  wilderness,  just  below  the  outlet  of  the  In- 
land Ocean,  the  little  bark  was  built.  A  large  part  of 
the  furs  traded  from  the  Indians  was  brought  from  the 
Superior  port  to  the  portage  in  this  small  vessel,  a  traffic 
which  it  maintained  until  1763,  when  it  was  wrecked 
on  the  bleak  and  rocky  shore  of  the  lake. 

During  this  period  in  the  settlement  of  the  Northwest, 
the  commerce  of  the  lakes  consisted  almost  exclusively 
of  the  fur  trade,  the  transportation  of  men,  arms,  and 
stores  to  the  military  posts  scattered  at  wide  Intervals 
along  the  chain  of  waterways,  and  the  carrying  of  set- 
tlers, their  families  and  goods  to  their  new  homes  in  the 
wilderness.  Wheat  and  some  other  grains  were  then 
westward-bound  commodities,  as  were  also  articles  of 
wearing  apparel,  tools,  rude  instruments  for  tilling  the 
soil,  and  an  assortment  of  goods  for  trading  with  the 


64  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

natives.  While  much  of  this  traffic  was  carried  in  birch- 
bark  canoes,  the  bateau  and  barge  played  an  important 
part.  They  were  being  built  larger  and  stronger,  until 
the  craft  in  use  during  the  interval  between  1750  and  1760 
were  of  sufficient  size  to  be  called  "  vessels  "  by  some 
of  the  early  historians.  Many  of  the  boats  were  rigged 
with  light  masts  and  small  sheets  of  canvas  for  sails,  and 
were  rendered  seaworthy  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
times. 

Carver,  one  of  the  early  travellers  in  the  lake  region, 
relates  that  in  June,  1768,  he  left  Michilimackinac  in  the 
Gladwyn,  a  schooner  of  eighty  tons,  which  had  been  built 
in  1763,  and  journeyed  southward  over  Lake  Huron  and 
through  St.  Clair  River  to  the  lake  bearing  that  name. 
There  he  left  the  vessel,  which  was  the  first  to  visit  those 
parts  since  the  Griffin,  and  proceeded  by  bateau  to  De- 
troit. Contemporary  with  the  Gladwyn  and  likewise  the 
first  vessel  bearing  sails  on  Lake  Erie  after  the  historic 
ship  of  La  Salle,  was  the  sloop  Beaver,  which  unluckily 
was  lost  at  Catfish  Creek,  fourteen  miles  up  the  lake.  A 
year  later,  in  1764,  three  new  vessels  appeared  on  the 
lower  lakes,  named  the  Victory,  the  Boston,  and  the 
Royal  Charlotte,  while  in  1767,  the  Brunswick  was  built, 
and,  two  years  after,  the  Enterprise  was  launched  in  De- 
troit. In  May,  1770,  the  Charity  of  seventy  tons'  burden 
was  put  in  the  water  on  Lake  Ontario,  at  the  mouth  of 
Niagara  River;  and  was  followed  soon  after  by  the 
Chippewa,  the  Lady  Charlotte,  and  the  Beaver  2nd. 
During  the  early  part  of  the  navigation  season  of  1771, 
the  last  named  vessel  was  lost  near  Sandusky  with  its 
valuable  cargo,  three  thousand  dollars,  and  seventeen 
passengers  and  crew.  That  year  the  Angelica,  of  forty- 
five  tons,  was  built  and  commanded  by  Richard  Wright, 
at  a  wage  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  a  year.  The 
sloop  Betsey  and  the  Muskanungee  completed  the  list 
of  sailing  vessels  to  the  period  just  preceding  the  Rev- 
olutionary War.     In  1778,  the  British  brig-of-war,  Gen- 


The  M.-ir  Floiier 


The  Atlantic 


NAVIGATION    FROM    1680   TO    1812     6^ 

eral  Gage,  arrived  at  Detroit,  after  a  voyage  of  four 
days  from  the  settlement  of  Buffalo;  and  two  years  after 
the  little  fleet  was  increased  by  the  brigs  Diinmore,  Faith, 
Hope,  Welcome,  Adventure,  Felicity,  and  Wyandotte, 
the  crews  of  which  were  under  pay;  and  a  large  dockyard 
was  maintained.  J.  Collins,  deputy  surveyor-general  of 
Canada  in  1788,  in  an  official  report  expressed  the  opinion 

"that  for  Lake  Ontario  vessels  should  be  of  eighty  to  one  hun- 
dred tons'  burden,  and  for  Lake  Erie  fifteen  tons  if  intended 
to  communicate  between  the  lakes;  but  they  should  be  built 
on  proper  principles  for  burden  as  well  as  sailing." 

The  permanent  settlement  of  the  region  of  the  Great 
Lakes  was  a  much  slower  development  than  that  of  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  Valleys.  There  were  various  rea- 
sons for  this.  The  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  were  at 
constant  warfare  with  their  affiliated  tribes  dwelling  along 
the  shores  of  the  lower  lakes,  or  were  making  incursions 
for  plunder  and  bloodshed  in  the  territory  of  the  Illinois 
and  the  upper  lake  tribes  of  the  nation  of  Algonquin. 
Another  contributory  cause  was  the  close  relation  be- 
tween the  lakes  and  Canada.  The  boundary  line  between 
the  United  States  and  Canada  was  first  established  by  the 
Treaty  of  Paris,  which  was  signed  on  September  3,  1783. 
It  was  declared  to  be  "  a  line  drawn  due  west  along  the 
forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude  until  it  strikes  the  Iro- 
quois or  Cataraqui  [St.  Lawrence]  River;  thence  along 
the  middle  of  said  river  into  Lake  Ontario;  through  the 
middle  of  said  lake  until  it  strikes  the  communication  by 
water  between  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie;  thence 
along  the  middle  of  said  communication  into  Lake  Erie; 
through  the  middle  of  Lake  Erie  until  it  arrives  at  the 
water  communication  between  that  lake  and  Lake  Huron; 
thence  along  the  middle  of  said  communication  into  Lake 
Huron;  thence  through  the  middle  of  Lake  Huron  to 
the  water  communication  between  that  lake  and  Lake 
Superior;     thence    along   the    watercourse    and   through 

5 


6G  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

Lake  Superior  north  of  Isle  Royal  to  Long  Lake;  thence 
through  the  middle  of  Long  Lake  to  the  water  com- 
munication between  it  and  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  to 
said  Lake  of  Woods."  By  this  treaty  Great  Britain 
claimed  and  held  the  islands  in  the  Niagara  River,  but  by 
the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  executed  in  December,  1814,  the  line 
was  established  as  following  the  deepest  channel,  thus 
placing  the  islands  on  the  American  side.  By  the  joint 
commission  under  this  treaty  the  line  from  the  St.  Law- 
rence River  to  the  foot  of  the  St.  Mary's  River  was  de- 
termined in  1823;  and  from  the  outlet  of  St.  Mary's 
River  the  line  was  established  clear  through  to  the 
farthest  northwest  point  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  by 
the  Webster-Ashburton  Treaty  in   1843. 

It  was  not  until  1796,  when  Great  Britain  surrendered 
the  posts  commanding  the  lake  trade,  that  the  American 
tide  of  immigration  turned  toward  the  Great  Lakes  coun- 
try, and  followed  the  natural  water  highways.  General 
Walker,  superintendent  of  the  tenth  United  States  Cen- 
sus, has  shown  that 

"early  emigration  from  the  Atlantic  States  westward  was 
along  four  main  lines,  namely:  through  Central  New  York, 
following  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  River;  2d,  across  Southern 
Pennsylvania,  West  Maryland,  and  North  Virginia,  parallel  to 
and  along  the  upper  Potomac;  3d,  southward  down  the  valley 
of  Virginia  and  through  the  mountain  gaps  into  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky;  4th,  around  the  southern  end  of  the  mountains 
through  Georgia  and  Alabama." 

Prior  to  1796,  the  last  three  routes  were  the  channels 
of  immigration  almost  exclusively  used.  At  that  time  the 
western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York  was  an  unbroken 
wilderness,  and  seldom  had  the  foot  of  civilized  man 
trod  the  leaves  and  moss  of  the  native  forest.  No  road 
had  yet  been  cut  to  the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Erie; 
and  Lake  Ontario,  the  Niagara  portage,  and  Detroit 
were  in  the  possession  of  the  English.  Trails  had  been 
blazed  and  some  roads  made  through  the  Ohio  Valley 


NAVIGATION    FROM    1680   TO    1812      67 

both  from  Philadelphia  and  Virginia  points,  and  these 
were  the  routes  traversed  by  a  large  part  of  the  immi- 
grants to  the  regions  beyond  the  mountains,  even  those 
from  New  England.  The  tide  of  immigration  having 
been  established  that  way  and  disquieting  reports  of  con- 
flict and  strife  coming  from  the  northern  frontier,  it  was 
but  natural  that  some  time  should  elapse  ere  It  was  di- 
verted to  the  lakes  highway.  Once  having  started  by 
way  of  the  easier  route  of  travel  through  the  natural 
watercourses,  the  route  soon  became  the  chief  channel  of 
western  immigration,  and  the  other  routes  became  scarcely 
more  than  lines  on  the  map.  The  British  surrender  of 
the  outposts.  In  1796,  marked  the  beginning  of  the  ad- 
vancing wave  of  permanent  settlement  from  the  eastern 
Interior,  which  is  ever  rolling  on  toward  the  West. 

In  these  early  times  of  lake  navigation  the  few  sailing 
vessels  and  the  smaller  craft  were  owned  exclusively  by 
the  French  and  English  voyagers,  who  controlled  the 
trade  of  the  Northwest.  Not  until  1789  was  the  first 
American  vessel  built  and  rigged  out  for  trading  along 
the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  its  entry  upon  the  Inland 
Seas  was  accomplished  under  great  difficulty.  The  Idea 
of  trading  with  Canada  was  conceived  by  John  Fellows, 
of  Sheffield,  Mass.,  who  started  from  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  In  his  little  schooner,  the  cargo  of  which  consisted 
mostly  of  tea  and  tobacco.  He  followed  the  natural 
watercourses  leading  toward  the  West,  and  finally  reached 
the  lake  by  way  of  the  Oswego  River.  There  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  outpost  refused  him  permission  to 
pass  on  to  Canada  to  dispose  of  his  goods,  and  he  was 
turned  back  Into  the  wilderness.  He  was  not  deterred 
from  his  purpose,  however,  and  returning  with  his  vessel 
and  cargo  up  the  Oswego  River  as  far  as  the  Seneca 
River,  he  followed  that  stream  Into  the  Canandaigua  out- 
let to  the  present  site  of  Clyde.  There  in  the  depths  of 
the  native  forest  he  erected  a  log  hut,  which  was  long 
after  known  as  the  "  blockhouse."    In  this  rude  shelter  he 


68  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

secured  his  wares  while  he  was  engaged  in  bushing  out  a 
sled  road  through  the  forest  to  Sodus  Bay  on  Lake  On- 
tario. His  trail  must  have  been  nine  or  ten  miles  long, 
and  when  it  had  been  made  passable,  he  went  to  Geneva 
and  procured  two  yoke  of  oxen.  By  these  means  he 
hauled  the  boat  across  the  portage  and  launched  it  in  the 
waters  tributary  to  the  lake.  He  then  sledded  the  goods 
across  and  embarked  in  his  frail  boat  and  set  sail  for  the 
northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  The  tea  and  tobacco 
which  he  had  thus  laboriously  brought  to  Canada  met 
with  a  ready  sale,  and  with  the  proceeds  which  repre- 
sented a  large  profit,  he  returned  in  the  vessel  and  landed 
at  Irondequoit. 

In  1792  a  merchantman,  named  York,  built  on  Lake 
Ontario  a  vessel  named  the  Missisaga,  and  three  years 
later  a  quick  sailing  sloop  appeared  named  the  Sophia, 
which,  in  May  of  1795,  ran  from  Kingston  to  Niagara  in 
eighteen  hours.  This  was  considered  a  remarkably  fast 
passage.  At  about  that  time  American  commerce  on 
Lake  Ontario  began  to  expand,  and  until  the  beginning 
of  the  War  of  1812,  it  amounted  annually  to  a  consider- 
able volume.  At  the  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century 
the  trade  of  Lake  Ontario  exceeded  the  combined  com- 
merce of  Lake  Erie  and  the  three  upper  lakes.  The  tide 
of  immigration  was  slowly  turning  to  the  water  highways, 
and  to  1806,  from  New  York  to  the  western  country,  the 
route  from  the  Hudson  lay  up  the  Mohawk  River  to  the 
vicinity  of  Rome,  N.  Y.  The  traffic  was  maintained  by 
small  boats  rowed  or  poled  up  the  rapid  and  shallow 
Mohawk;  wagoned  around  Little  Falls  and  also  at  the 
divide  between  the  river  and  Wood  Creek;  floated 
down  that  stream  to  Oneida  Lake  and  through  that  to 
Three  River  Point,  where  the  Oneida  unites  with  the 
Seneca  River.  If  from  this  point  the  traveller  were 
bound  for  the  settlements  in  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
he  followed  the  Seneca  River,  or  if  he  were  making  for 
Canada  or  the  far  West,  he  floated  down  the  Oswego 


NAVIGATION    FROM    1680   TO    1812      69 

River  to  Lake  Ontario.  There  he  transferred  with  his 
property  to  coasting  vessels  destined  for  Lewiston  or 
Queenstown.  The  long  portage  of  the  Niagara  to  Chip- 
pewa Creek  followed,  and  the  boating  to  Fort  Erie,  at 
the  head  of  the  river,  where  he  embarked  in  a  sailing 
vessel  bound  for  the  upper  lake  ports. 

Among  the  vessels  built  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  was  the  Jemima,  which  was  launched  in 
1798  by  Eli  Granger,  at  Hanford's  Landing,  three  miles 
below  the  city  of  Rochester.  In  the  same  year  the 
JFashington^  a  schooner  built  at  Erie,  was  carried  on 
wheels  around  the  Falls  of  Niagara,  and  launched  in 
Lake  Ontario.  Being  sold  to  a  Canadian  it  plied  be- 
tween Queenstown  and  Kingston,  under  the  British  flag, 
and  the  name  Lady  IFashington.  It  was  lost  in  a  gale 
near  Oswego,  on  November  24,  1803.  Other  Canadian 
vessels  were  the  General  Simcoe^  of  eighty-seven  tons' 
burden,  built  in  i^jgy;  the  sloop  Polly,  built  on  the  Bay 
of  Quinte;  and  one  or  two  others  which  traded  between 
Kingston  and  the  lake  villages  of  New  York  State.  Colo- 
nel Van  Rensselaer  built  two  vessels  of  fifty  tons;  and 
the  Peggy  and  Genesee  were  schooners  plying  between 
Oswego  and  Niagara. 

On  Lake  Erie  before  1800,  were  the  Good  Intent,  built 
by  Captain  William  Lee,  of  thirty  tons'  burden,  lost  in 
1806  with  all  on  board;  the  Harlequin,  owned  by  Elipha- 
let  Beebe,  and  lost  the  first  season  with  all  the  crew;  the 
sloop  Otter,  which  was  the  first  vessel  on  Lake  Erie  to 
fly  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  owned  by  James  May;  and  the 
Erie  Packet.  Other  sailing  vessels  on  the  upper  lakes 
were  the  Nancy,  of  ninety-four  tons,  the  Swan,  and 
Neagel;  the  Sagima,  Detroit,  Beaver,  Industry,  Speed- 
well, and  Arahasca.  In  the  year  1800,  the  Prince  Ed- 
ward, built  at  Marysburg  by  Captain  Murney,  ran  on 
Lake  Ontario.  This  vessel  was  large  enough  to  stow 
seven  hundred  barrels  of  flour  beneath  its  deck.  The 
Speedy,  Captain  Paxton,  left  York,  October  7,  1804,  for 


70  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

Presque  Isle,  and  was  lost  with  twenty-four  passengers 
and  crew.  The  schooner  Columbia  was  built  in  1809  on 
an  island  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  brought 
unfinished  to  Niagara,  where  It  was  completed  and  the 
name  changed  to  Niagara.  Other  vessels  prior  to  the 
War  of  1812  were:  the  sloops  Marion  and  Gold  Hunter, 
the  Geneva  Packet,  the  Diana,  the  Fair  American,  the 
Collector,  the  Experiment,  the  Dolphin,  and  the  schooner 
Charles  and  Ann  which  attracted  considerable  attention 
on  account  of  her  size. 

During  the  first  ten-year  period  of  the  new  century  the 
traflSc  of  the  lakes  consisted  of  furs,  skins,  and  peltries, 
stores  for  the  military  posts  and  the  settlements  in  the 
West,  and  fish,  lumber,  staves,  and  household  goods. 
Onondaga  salt  for  Pittsburg  was  then  one  of  the  principal 
articles  of  lake  commerce.  In  1806,  Porter,  Barton  & 
Co.  established  a  regular  transfer  business  over  the  por- 
tage at  Niagara,  and  boating  up  the  river  to  Black  Rock. 
They  maintained  three  yoke  of  oxen  on  the  portage,  and 
several  yoke  along  the  upper  river  to  tow  the  boats 
through  the  swift  current  of  the  rapids  near  the  head  of 
the  river,  where  their  warehouses  were  located.  The 
average  load  ascending  the  portage  from  Lewiston  was 
twelve  barrels  of  salt,  or  same  weight  in  merchandise, 
and  one  trip  a  day  could  be  made.  Teamsters  using  horses 
could  haul  seven  barrels  of  salt  if  the  road  was  good. 
From  fifteen  thousand  to  eighteen  thousand  barrels  of  salt 
were  hauled  over  the  portage  in  a  season.  The  rate  was 
seven  shillings  per  barrel  for  salt,  and  six  shillings  per  one 
hundred  pounds  for  general  merchandise,  from  Lewiston 
to  Black  Rock;  and  three  shillings  for  merchandise  in 
the  opposite  direction. 

The  naval  forces  on  the  Great  Lakes  during  the  last 
half  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  including  the  War  of 
1 81 2  comprised  a  number  of  stanch  vessels,  some  of 
which  had  been  taken  from  the  merchantmen  and  con- 
verted into  sloops  of  war.    The  first  war  ships  were  built 


NAVIGATION    FROM    1680   TO    1812      71 

by  the  British  in  1755  at  Oswego  for  use  on  Lake  Ontario. 
There  were  two  sloops  of  war  and  one  schooner  besides 
some  smaller  vessels.  One  of  the  sloops  had  a  gun  deck 
on  which  was  mounted  eight  four-pounders  and  thirty-two 
swivels.  In  1771  there  were  built  and  armed  under  the 
British  flag  the  schooner  Hope,  of  eighty-one  tons,  and 
the  Angelica,  of  sixty-four  tons;  and  the  following  year 
the  brig  Gage,  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  tons  with 
an  armament  of  fourteen  guns;  and  the  schooner  Dun- 
more,  of  one  hundred  and  six  tons;  in  1774,  the  sloop 
Felicity,  of  fifty-five  tons;  in  1776,  the  sloop  Adveti- 
ture,  of  thirty-four  tons;  and  in  1779,  the  sloop  JFyan- 
dotte,  of  forty-seven  tons.  During  the  Revolutionary 
War  the  British  built  several  vessels  of  war  on  Lake 
Ontario,  the  largest  of  which  was  the  Ontario,  carrying 
twenty-two  guns.  It  was  lost  in  a  fearful  gale  in  1780 
with  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  lives,  having  a  de- 
tachment of  the  Eighth  King's  Own  Regiment  on  board 
at  the  time  of  the  disaster.  On  May  3,  1793,  the  British 
ships  Buffalo  and  Caldwell  crossed  Lake  Ontario  to  York 
(Toronto)  and  joined  the  armed  schooner  Onondaga. 
At  this  time  there  were  also  the  Lady  Dorchester  and  the 
Mohawk,  enrolled  on  the  lower  lake.  On  May  10,  1803, 
the  Canadian  government  schooner,  Duke  of  Kent,  arrived 
at  York  from  Kingston  with  troops. 

The  earliest  American  war  vessel  on  the  lakes  was  the 
United  States  sloop  Detroit,  of  fifty  tons,  purchased  by 
General  Wayne  in  1796.  It  had  a  short  career  as  a  gov- 
ernment ship  for  it  was  wrecked  near  Erie  in  the  Fall  of 
the  following  year.  In  1802  the  Government  built  the 
brig  Adams,  of  one  hundred  tons,  which  was  sailed  by 
Captain  Breevort.  It  was  surrendered  to  the  British  in 
1812,  and  renamed  the  Detroit;  was  captured  at  Fort 
Erie  by  Lieutenant  Elliot,  and  burned  on  Squaw  Island, 
opposite  Black  Rock.  The  schooner  Tracy,  of  fifty-three 
tons,  was  lost  on  a  reef;  the  sloops  Catherine  and  Con- 
tractor, built  in   1802-3   at  Black  Rock,  were  both  con- 


72  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

verted  into  war  vessels  and  renamed  the  Tnppe  and 
Somers  respectively.  They  were  in  Perry's  fleet  in  the 
battle  of  Lake  Erie.  In  1804  the  sloop  Niagara,  built  on 
Cayuga  Creek,  was  never  commissioned,  but  sold  to 
traders  and  renamed  the  Nancy.  At  the  time  of  the 
capture  of  the  Adams,  the  Canadian  armed  brig  Cale- 
donia was  taken,  and  after  the  war  was  refitted  and 
renamed  the  General  Wayne.  The  brig  Oneida  was  in 
commission  before  1809;  and  the  schooner  Ontario,  built 
at  Lewiston,  was  of  seventy  tons,  and  sold  to  the  Govern- 
ment soon  after  the  opening  of  the  war.  In  June,  18 12, 
the  schooner  Salina,  formerly  the  Catherine,  built  in  1809, 
arrived  at  Mackinac  and  was  captured  with  the  schooner 
Mary  and  Friends  Good  Will,  of  sixty  tons,  by  the  Brit- 
ish. While  used  as  a  transport  by  the  enemy  it  was 
caught  in  the  ice  off  Fort  Maiden  and  abandoned.  It 
was  later  discovered  off  Erie,  the  supplies  and  rigging  of 
value  removed,  and  the  hull  burned.  In  18 10  the  Ca- 
nadian Government  built  the  armed  brig  Lady  Prevost,  of 
ninety-seven  tons,  at  Amherstburg.  It  was  captured  in 
the  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  sold  in  18 15,  and  employed  foi 
many  years  in  merchant  service.  The  schooner  Chip- 
pewa, of  thirty  tons,  built  in  18 10,  at  Maumee,  was  cap- 
tured during  the  war  by  the  British,  fitted  out  as  a  war 
vessel,  and  was  in  the  engagement  with  Perry's  fleet. 

Among  the  British  vessels  during  the  war  were  the 
flagship  Detroit,  of  nineteen  guns;  the  Camden,  of  ten 
guns;  the  brig  Hunter;  the  sloops  Hope  and  Nancy; 
the  schooners  Thames  and  Eleanor.  On  Lake  Superior, 
the  Perseverance,  of  eighty-five  tons,  the  schooner  Mink, 
of  forty-five  tons,  the  sloop  Nancy,  of  thirty-eight  tons, 
were  captured  by  the  Americans  in  July,  18 14.  It  is 
related  that  the  schooner  Recovery,  built  on  the  upper 
lake  before  1812,  was  secreted  by  the  British  along  the 
rocky  and  forbidding  shores  of  Isle  Royal,  the  masts 
taken  out,  and  the  hull  covered  with  brush  and  branches 
of  trees.     It  was  not  discovered,  and  after  the  war  was 


NAVIGATION    FROM    1680   TO    1812     73 

over  it  was  put  in  commission,  run  down  the  St.  Mary's 
Rapids,  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  on  Lake  Erie. 

The  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  which  marked  the  crisis  of 
the  war  and  was  one  of  the  great  historic  events  of  the 
Great  Lakes  country,  was  fought  on  September  10,  18 13. 
The  naval  forces  of  the  United  States  on  Lake  Erie  were 
under  the  command  of  Commodore  Perry,  an  officer  who, 
though  but  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  had  seen  much  ser- 
vice and  fighting  on  the  high  seas.  He  had  collected  and 
fitted  out  a  fleet  of  nine  vessels,  comprising  the  brig  Law- 
rence, his  flagship,  of  twenty  guns;  the  Niagara,  Captain 
Elliot,  of  twenty  guns;  the  Caledonia,  three  guns;  the 
schooner  Ariel,  four  guns;  the  Scorpion,  two  guns;  the 
Somers,  two  guns  and  two  swivels ;  the  sloop  Trippe, 
and  the  schooners  Tigress  and  Porcupine,  of  one  gun 
each;  amounting  in  all  to  nine  vessels,  with  a  total  arma- 
ment of  fifty-four  guns  and  two  swivels. 

Commodore  Barclay,  who  commanded  the  British 
forces  on  the  lakes,  had  avoided  an  encounter  with  the 
Americans,  but  the  conflict  having  been  drawn  from  the 
land  forces  to  that  of  the  Inland  Sea,  he  sailed  forth  with 
the  full  strength  of  his  fleet,  which  was  composed  of  the 
Detroit,  of  nineteen  guns  and  two  howitzers;  the  Queen 
Charlotte,  of  seventeen  guns;  the  schooner  Lady  Prevost, 
of  thirteen  guns  and  two  howitzers;  the  brig  Hunter,  of 
ten  guns;  the  sloop  Little  Belt,  of  three  guns,  and  the 
schooner  Chippewa,  of  one  gun  and  two  swivels.  The 
Americans  had  three  more  vessels  than  the  British,  but 
the  latter  had  the  advantage  in  number  and  size  of  their 
guns. 

Toward  noon  Commodore  Perry  hoisted  his  Union  Jack 
with  the  motto,  the  dying  words  of  the  lamented  Law- 
rence, "  Don't  give  up  the  ship,"  and  set  sail  from  Put- 
in-Bay, to  meet  the  enemy.  From  the  very  beginning  of 
the  battle  the  Lawrence  drew  the  fire  of  the  entire  British 
fleet,  which  soon  rendered  her  unmanageable,  and  she  was 
reduced  almost  to  a  wreck.     Unable  to  further  fire  his 


74  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

guns,  many  of  which  had  been  dismounted,  he  abandoned 
the  flagship,  and,  with  his  colors  under  his  arm,  set  out  in 
a  yawl  to  take  command  of  the  Niagara,  which,  some 
distance  away,  seemed  unable  to  get  into  the  thick  of  the 
engagement.  Standing  in  the  stern  of  his  little  boat,  he 
w;as  the  mark  for  musket  fire  from  the  enemy's  ships,  but 
miraculously  escaped  unharmed.  Assuming  command  of 
the  Niagara  and  bringing  her  up  to  the  line  of  conflict  with 
the  British  ships,  and  aided  by  the  other  vessels  of  his 
fleet,  which  in  the  meantime  had  come  within  striking 
distance,  he  poured  such  deadly  charges  of  grape  and  can- 
ister into  the  enemy's  ships,  that  the  whole  of  the  British 
struck  their  colors,  excepting  the  Little  Belt  and  the  Chip- 
pewa. These  attempted  to  escape,  but  were  overtaken  by 
two  gunboats  and  captured.  The  battle  lasted  three  hours 
and  the  victory  was  most  decisive  and  complete.  The 
American  losses  were  twenty-seven  killed,  and  ninety-six 
wounded;  and  the  British  forty-one  killed,  and  ninety-four 
wounded;  Commodore  Barclay  being  among  the  latter. 
Commodore  Perry,  who  was  unhurt,  announced  the  vic- 
tory in  the  message:  "  We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they 
are  ours;  two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner,  and  a 
sloop."  This  battle  had  a  decisive  effect  on  the  for- 
tunes of  war,  and  led  to  the  further  invasion  of  Canada 
and  victories  on  land,  which  resulted  in  the  recovery  to 
the  United  States  of  the  lost  territory  of  Michigan. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION 

Fulton,  the  Father  of  Steam  Navigation  —  Early  Experiments  of 
Steam  Propulsion  — No  Practical  Results  Followed  —  Symington's 
Steamboats  in  England  —  Fulton's  Achievements  in  France  —  His 
Return  to  America  —  Building  of  Clermont  —  First  Voyage  to  Albany 
—  First  Steamboat  on  St.  Lawrence  River  —  Also  on  Lake  Ontario. 

VIEWED  in  the  light  of  the  natural  development  in 
marine  architecture  through  the  centuries  from  the 
building  of  the  Ark,  steamboats  belong  exclusively  to 
modern  times,  and  represent  progress,  speculation,  and 
haste.  It  is  not  much  more  than  a  hundred  years  since 
the  experiments  in  steam  propulsion  of  vessels,  which 
had  been  carried  on  intermittently  for  twenty  years  pre- 
ceding, began  to  assume  a  definite  form  along  lines  point- 
ing to  commercial  success.  Even  in  this  age  of  rapid 
progress  it  is  hard  to  believe  that,  in  the  course  of  one 
century,  the  slow  and  clumsy  type  of  the  Hudson  River 
steamboats  has  developed  into  the  present-day  leviathans 
of  the  ocean  and  the  Inland  Seas.  From  the  first  success- 
ful steamboat,  the  Clermont,  of  Fulton  fame,  to  the  mod- 
ern queen  of  the  lake's  craft,  is  a  wide  transition,  the 
evolution  showing  speculation  in  the  conveniences  for  the 
comfort  and  ease  of  the  traveller,  as  well  as  in  the  deco- 
rations and  exquisite  furnishings  to  please  his  eye.  Haste 
is  manifest  in  high  speed  attained  by  the  latest  steamers 
with  their  powerful  engines  and  mechanical  equipment 
of  great  efficiency,  over  the  slow-going  sailing  vessels 
whose  motion  is  governed  by  the  winds  from  above.  But 
man,  indeed,  is  ever  the  god  of  the  steamer;  it  depends 
on  him  for  its  every  movement;  and  without  his  guiding 
hand  is  but  a  helpless  hulk  upon  the  waste  of  waters. 


76  OUR    INLAND   SEAS 

In  choosing  some  person  from  among  the  many  of 
mechanical  genius  who  are  identified  in  the  development 
of  any  great  invention,  whose  name  it  is  to  bear  in  the 
generations  to  come,  it  is  generally  conceded  that  the 
honor  should  fall  upon  the  man  who  has  gathered  to- 
gether the  more  or  less  fragmentary  work  of  his  prede- 
cessors, stamped  it  with  his  own  inventive  originality,  and 
given  it  to  the  world  in  practical  working  form.  Upon 
these  principles  of  selection,  which  have  given  the  name 
to  all  modern  inventions,  posterity  with  equal  impartiality 
has  agreed  to  name  Fulton  as  the  father  of  steamboat 
navigation.  There  has  been  no  intention  in  this  of  be- 
littling the  work  of  earlier  inventors  along  the  same  line 
of  experiment,  some  of  whom  actually  moved  small  boats 
by  steam  power,  but  rather  of  placing  an  individual  stamp 
of  approval  upon  the  type  of  steamboat,  which  has  proved 
a  mechanical  and  commercial  success  through  the  century, 
even  to  the  present. 

The  earliest  attempts  to  propel  a  boat  by  any  form  of 
steam  power  were  as  far  back  as  the  middle  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  when  a  Spaniard,  Blasco  de  Gary  by  name, 
by  some  application  of  the  heat  energy  of  steam  man- 
oeuvred a  small  vessel  in  the  harbor  of  Barcelona.  Noth- 
ing of  practical  use  came  of  his  efforts,  and  not  until  1707 
were  further  experiments  made,  by  Papin,  upon  the  river 
Fulda,  in  Germany.  About  1763  William  Henry  built 
a  steamboat  propelled  by  paddle-wheels,  but  little  success 
attended  his  work,  probably  because  of  the  ineffectual 
means  employed  to  apply  the  meagre  power  devel- 
oped by  the  early  steam  engines  of  the  period.  Toward 
the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  Count  d'Auxiron  and 
the  Marquis  de  Jouffroy  conducted  experiments  in  steam 
navigation  in  France,  with  little  practical  result.  The 
difficulties  and  discouragements  experienced  by  the  early 
mechanics  were  due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  unable 
to  obtain  a  speed  of  more  than  three  miles  an  hour;  and 
up  to  1784,  when  James  Watt,  the  accredited  father  of 


BEGINNING  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     77 

the  steam  engine,  gave  to  the  world  his  first  rotative 
engine  for  stationary  purposes,  the  designs  were  not  of 
a  form  suitable  for  use  in  the  restricted  space  of  a  boat. 

The  use  of  the  side  paddle-wheels  in  Fulton's  Clermont 
was  undoubtedly  a  large  factor  in  the  successful  oper- 
ation of  that  historic  pioneer  of  steamboating.  The  idea 
of  revolving  paddles  attached  to  a  vertical  wheel  was 
not  new,  as  it  was  known  to  the  Romans  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  for  Appolo  Vitruvius  mentions  the  use  of  two 
wheel  boats,  one  with  a  pair,  and  the  other  with  five  wheels 
on  the  side.  These  boats  were  operated  by  the  force 
of  human  strength,  and  of  horses  or  oxen.  In  17 10  there 
was  printed  in  London  a  description  of  an  engine  for  row- 
ing boats,  having  "  paddles  or  wheels  of  six  or  eight  on 
each  side  of  the  ship,  to  be  operated  by  hand  labor 
through  the  capstan  that  was  geared  to  the  water-wheel 
shaft."  According  to  the  Jesuit  missionaries  at  Peking, 
the  Chinese  in  the  eighteenth  century  had  a  sort  of  war 
vessel  fitted  with  paddle-wheels  on  the  side,  which  were 
turned  by  men. 

The  earliest  application  of  steam  power  to  operate 
the  side-wheels  was  proposed  in  a  description  of  a  fire- 
ship  that  was  laid  before  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty 
in  England,  in  October,  1796.  In  the  same  year  Patrick 
Miller,  of  Dalwinston,  Scotland,  secured  a  patent  for 
a  vessel  "to  be  put  in  motion  during  calms  and  against 
light  winds  by  the  means  of  wheels.  These  wheels  pro- 
ject beyond  the  sides  of  the  vessel,  and  are  wrought  by 
means  of  capstans.  The  wheels  are  built  of  eight  arms, 
which  consist  entirely  of  plank."  There  is  little  in  the 
records  to  show  that  any  practical  results  followed  these 
early  experiments. 

In  America  the  idea  of  the  vertical  side-wheels  seems 
to  have  been  rejected  by  mechanics  at  the  time  of  the  in- 
troduction of  Watt's  steam  engine.  In  1785,  in  his 
paper  on  "  Maritime  Observations,"  Benjamin  Franklin 
wrote : 


78  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

"Several  mechanical  projectors  have  at  different  times  pro- 
posed to  give  motion  to  boats,  and  even  to  ships,  by  means  of 
circular  rowing,  or  paddles  placed  on  the  circumference  of 
wheels  to  be  turned  constantly,  on  each  side  of  the  vessel.  But 
this  method,  though  frequently  tried,  has  never  been  found  so 
effectual  as  to  encourage  a  continuance  of  the  practice.  I  do 
not  know  that  the  reason  has  hitherto  been  given.  Perhaps  it 
may  be  this:  that  a  great  part  of  the  force  employed  contrib- 
utes little  to  the  motion." 

He  believed  that  too  much  power  was  lost  in  transmit- 
ting the  mechanical  energy  of  the  engine  to  the  immersed 
buckets,  and  of  their  loss  of  movement  through  the  water, 
to  make  the  wheel  type  of  any  practical  use.  That  this 
belief  was  shared  by  others  as  late  as  1798  is  evident  in 
the  experiments  conducted  by  Robert  R.  Livingston, 
John  Stevens,  and  Nicholas  J.  Roosevelt,  for  when  the 
latter  proposed,  "  that  we  throw  two  wheels  of  wood 
over  the  sides,  fastened  to  the  axis  of  the  fly-wheels  with 
eight  arms  or  paddles;  that  part  which  enters  the  water 
of  sheet  iron,  to  shift  according  to  the  power  they  re- 
quire, either  deeper  in  the  water  or  otherwise,"  Livingston, 
who  had  a  system  of  propulsion  that  he  considered  more 
practical  than  any  other  yet  devised,  replied  that  "verti- 
cal wheels,  they  are  out  of  the  question." 

In  1784  James  Rumsay  experimented  at  steamboating 
on  the  Potomac  in  the  presence  of  Washington;  and 
John  Fitch,  of  Philadelphia,  three  years  later,  operated 
the  first  steam  vessel  in  this  country  on  the  Delaware,  but 
the  motive  power  was  applied  to  rows  of  vertical  paddles 
moved  along  either  side  of  the  boat.  In  1789  Nathan 
Read,  another  American,  equipped  a  boat  with  paddles 
moved  by  steam,  at  Danvers,  Mass.  None  of  these, 
however,  achieved  anything  of  practical  utility,  and  their 
endeavors  went  for  naught  except  to  show  the  futility 
of  the  methods  then  employed.  John  Stevens  did  suc- 
ceed, nevertheless.  In  1804,  in  running  a  steam  yawl  from 
the  Battery  to  Ilobokcn,  which  experiment  resulted 
several  years  later  In  the  Phoenix  being  sent  to  Phlla- 


BEGINNING  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     79 

delphia  by  sea,  thus  securing  the  credit  of  inaugurating 
deep  sea  navigation  by  steam. 

Two  other  Americans,  during  the  closing  years  of  the 
century,  were  engaged  in  experimenting  with  side-wheels 
revolved  by  steam,  but  they  sought  some  agent  other 
than  the  paddle  or  bucket  to  take  hold  on  the  water, 
as  these  means  were  considered  too  absurd  to  be  thought 
of  for  a  moment.  One  of  these  experimenters,  Samuel 
Morey,  in  1797,  constructed  a  steamboat  on  the  Dela- 
ware River,  of  which  he  said: 

"I  there  devised  the  plan  of  propelling  by  means  of  two 
wheels,  one  on  each  side.  The  shaft  ran  across  the  boat  with  a 
crank  in  the  middle  worked  from  the  beam  of  the  engine  with 
a  shackle  bar.  ...  I  found  that  my  wheels  answered  the  pur- 
pose very  well,  and  better  than  any  mode  that  I  had  tried;  and 
the  boat  was  openly  exhibited  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  presence 
of  numbers  of  citizens,  with  complete  success.  ...  It  was  only 
for  want  of  funds  that  I  did  not  then  bring  it  into  public  use." 

The  other  inventor,  Daniel  Keller,  applied  for  a 
patent  in  1795  "  for  an  improved  mode  of  propelling 
vessels  by  horses  or  oxen."  This  was  the  first  patent 
issued  in  this  country  in  which  the  paddle-wheel  was 
described,  and  the  fifth  for  an  improvement,  which  read: 

"And  fixed  on  the  shafts  crossing  the  boat  at  a  right  angle, 
in  the  ends  of  the  shaft  projecting  from  or  over  the  boat,  are 
arms  supporting  the  oars,  paddles,  or  float  dips  in  the  water 
in  a  rotary  succession  by  means  of  the  power  applied  to  the 
arms  of  the  main  horizontal  wheel,  and  from  that  to  the  speci- 
fied wheels  and  shafts,  constitutes  the  means  of  propelling 
boats." 

It  is  not  thought  at  all  likely  that  this  patent  had  much 
to  do  with  the  final  adoption  of  the  paddle  in  Fulton's 
early  models. 

While  these  experiments  were  being  carried  on,  on 
the  British  Isles  other  engineers  of  note  were  struggling 
with  the  problem,  but,  as  in  America,  their  endeavors 
met  with  meagre  success.     William  Symington,   a  civil 


8o  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

engineer  of  Scotland,  after  years  of  study  and  experi- 
ment, attained  the  most  renown  In  this  field.  In  1788 
he  built  a  steamboat  to  try  out  his  Ideas  of  steam  pro- 
pulsion, and  two  years  later  constructed  a  larger  boat 
which  was  navigated  upon  the  Forth  and  Clyde  canal, 
at  a  speed.  It  Is  related,  of  six  miles  an  hour.  Because 
of  lack  of  funds  nothing  was  done  for  ten  years  to  bring 
the  vessel  Into  public  use,  and  it  was  only  by  the  efforts 
of  Lord  Dundas,  in  1801,  that  the  Inventor  was  engaged 
to  build  a  steamboat  to  tow  coal  barges  on  the  canal. 
The  boat  when  completed  was  named  the  Charlotte 
Dundas,  and  after  a  trip  to  Glasgow,  It  was  placed  In 
service  on  the  canal. 

This  steam  towboat  which,  from  the  complete  and 
probably  authentic  records  of  the  time,  must  be  considered 
a  success  in  a  mechanical  sense,  even  though  It  brought 
no  commercial  return  to  Its  owner,  was  sixty  feet  long 
and,  with  Its  machinery,  cost  about  fifteen  thousand  dol- 
lars. Its  engine  cylinder  was  twenty-two  Inches  In  diam- 
eter with  four-foot  stroke  of  "piston,  which  was  connected 
by  a  rod  direct  to  the  paddle-wheel  shaft,  the  system 
which  has  been  in  use  ever  since.  There  was  but 
one  paddle-wheel,  placed  In  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and 
arranged  so  as  to  cause  but  little  wave  action  outside. 
Of  the  engine  Symington  gave  this  description: 

"In  place  of  a  cylinder  erected  in  a  vertical  position  with 
the  piston  rod  acting  upwards  and  the  working  beam  and  the 
other  heavy  and  complicated  apparatus  of  the  old  steam  engine, 
I  have  placed  the  cylinder  in  a  diagonal  position,  making  with 
the  horizon  an  angle  of  less  than  45°,  and  by  coupling  to  the 
end  of  the  piston  rod  a  crank  and  arm,  reproduced  a  rotary 
motion  without  the  intervention  of  a  lever  or  beam,  or  the 
other  apparatus  connected  therewith." 

Although  the  vessel  was  a  complete  success  and  might 
have  effected  some  economy  in  the  operation  of  the  canal, 
the  owners  of  the  waterway  feared  the  waves  from  the 
boat's  wheel  would  wash  the  banks  away,  and,  after  a 
icw  trips,    its    use    was   prohibited.      In    March,    1803, 


BEGINNING  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     8i 

Symington  finished  a  third  steamboat  which,  upon  her 
trial  trip,  towed  two  loaded  sloops  twenty  miles  in  six 
hours.  Whatever  claims  any  one  of  the  early  inventors 
may  have  had  to  recognition  as  the  father  of  steamboat- 
ing,  the  consensus  of  opinion,  on  the  part  of  those  who 
have  made  careful  investigation  of  the  historic  facts, 
accords  to  Robert  Fulton  the  distinction  of  placing  on  a 
regular  route,  running  on  schedule  time,  the  first  practical 
passenger  steamer. 

Robert  Fulton  was  born  in  the  town  of  Little  Britain, 
Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1765.  At  an  early 
age  his  peculiar  genius  was  manifested  in  his  spending 
many  hours  in  the  shops  of  mechanics,  and  in  the  use 
of  the  pencil  in  drawing.  By  the  time  he  was  seven- 
teen, he  had  become  so  much  of  an  artist  with  his  pencil 
in  portraits  and  landscapes  as  to  attract  the  notice  of 
Dr.  Franklin.  In  1786  he  went  to  England  to  pur- 
sue his  studies,  and  for  a  number  of  years  devoted  him- 
self to  his  art.  His  mind,  however,  was  bent  on 
mechanics,  and  in  1793  he  was  actively  engaged  in  a 
project  to  improve  inland  navigation.  At  that  time  he 
had  given  some  attention  to  the  problem  of  steam  pro- 
pulsion of  vessels;  and  in  some  of  his  manuscripts  he 
expressed  great  confidence  in  its  practicability.  For  some 
years  he  resided  in  the  great  manufacturing  town  of 
Birmingham,  and  it  is  probable  that  while  there  he  ac- 
quired the  practical  knowledge  of  mechanics  which  he 
turned  to  such  useful  purposes  there  and  later  in  his  own 
country. 

In  May,  1794,  he  obtained  a  British  patent  on  a 
double-inclined  plane,  to  be  used  for  transportation;  and 
a  little  later  another  on  a  machine  for  sawing  marble. 
He  invented  a  machine  for  spinning  flax,  and  a  contri- 
vance for  scooping  out  the  earth  to  form  channels  for 
canals.  In  1796  he  published  his  "Treatise  on  the  Im- 
provement of  Canal  Navigation  "  in  which  he  advocated 
small  canals  and  boats  of  little  burden  rather  than  of 


82  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

canals  and  boats  the  size  then  in  use;  and  the  work 
was  embelHshed  by  drawings  and  diagrams  clearly 
showing  his  mode  of  conveyance  over  mountainous 
countries,  independent  of  locks,  railways,  and  steam 
engines.  He  wrote  many  essays  on  this  subject,  and  on 
commerce  and  war,  and  became  associated  with  dis- 
tinguished men  of  science  and  of  state. 

In  the  year  1797,  Mr.  Fulton  went  to  Paris  and  soon 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Joel  Barlow,  with  whom,  in 
December,  he  made  an  experiment  on  the  Seine,  with  a 
machine  he  had  devised  as  an  improvement  on  the  sub- 
marine bomb,  and  to  which  he  gave  the  name  "  torpedo," 
by  which  such  implements  of  war  have  since  been  known. 
In  the  Spring  of  1801,  he  was  engaged  in  making  experi- 
ments with  the  plunging  boat  which  he  had  constructed 
during  the  Winter,  and,  having  corrected  numerous  imper- 
fections natural  to  a  first  machine  of  such  complications, 
he  embarked  on  the  third  of  July,  with  three  companions, 
and  descended  in  the  harbor  of  Brest  to  ten,  fifteen,  and 
so  to  twenty-five  feet  depth,  and,  in  utter  darkness,  re- 
mained an  hour.  Later  he  made  a  small  window  in  the 
bow,  of  thick  glass,  and  with  a  store  of  atmospheric  air 
compressed  into  a  copper  globe  of  a  cubic  foot  capacity, 
he  and  his  companions  descended  on  the  seventh  of 
August,  and  for  six  hours  manoeuvred  under  water,  plung- 
ing, moving  about  at  will  at  various  depths,  —  as  much  as 
twenty-five  feet,  —  turning  and  coming  to  the  surface  to 
determine  their  position,  and  again  diving  beneath. 
This  was  the  first  submarine  boat  of  naval  history,  and 
Fulton  gave  it  the  name  Nautilus.  It  was  propelled  on 
the  surface  by  sails,  as  a  speed  of  about  two  miles  an  hour. 
When  they  desired  to  plunge,  the  sail  gear  could  be  struck 
in  two  minutes;  and  while  beneath  the  waves  the  subma- 
rine was  moved  by  means  of  a  sort  of  screw  propeller 
under  the  stern,  and  secured  to  a  shaft  which  was  re- 
volved by  men,  at  a  speed  of  somewhat  less  than  one 
mile  an  hour. 


BEGINNING  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     83 

These  experiments  were  a  complete  success,  exceed- 
ing Fulton's  expectations,  but  the  French  Government 
gave  him  no  encouragement  as  to  the  adoption  of  his 
inventions,  and  with  great  reluctance  he  turned  to  England 
for  support  and  aid  to  improve  his  engines  of  war.  In 
some  of  his  experiments  there  his  torpedoes  blew  sev- 
eral small  vessels  to  atoms,  and  he  otherwise  demon- 
strated his  ideas  of  naval  warfare,  which  he  believed 
if  adopted  would  make  war  impossible.  The  Britishers, 
however,  rejected  his  proposals,  and,  the  year  after,  he 
returned  to  France. 

At  about  this  time,  Robert  R.  Livingston  was 
appointed  minister  to  France,  and,  being  interested  in 
the  development  of  steam  navigation  by  his  association 
in  the  experiments  of  Stevens  and  Roosevelt  in  America, 
he  soon  formed  the  acquaintance  of  Fulton,  and  per- 
suaded him  to  resume  his  investigations  of  the  problem. 
In  his  precise  and  practical  way,  Fulton  never  attempted 
to  put  in  practice  any  ideas  in  mechanics  without  having 
made  his  calculations,  drawn  his  plans,  and  executed 
his  models.  The  theories  of  others  that  a  boat  might 
be  propelled  by  forcing  a  column  of  water  through  a 
channel  for  that  purpose  in  her  keel,  out  at  the  stern, 
or  of  the  use  of  a  duck's  foot  model  of  paddle,  or  of 
Fitch's  movement  of  vertical  paddles,  he  quickly  dis- 
carded, in  these  words: 

"I  believe  it  will  be  impossible  to  drive  a  boat  six  miles  an 
hour  by  any  method  such  as  these;  and  it  appears  to  me  that  it 
has  been  owing  to  such  defective  applications  of  power,  and 
not  to  a  want  of  it  in  the  steam  engine,  that  all  experiments 
hitherto  made,  to  apply  it  to  navigation,  have  failed." 

Fulton  then  took  up  the  idea  of  using  endless  chains, 
with  resisting  boards,  or  chaplets,  upon  them  as  pro- 
pellers, to  be  moved  along  a  channel  in  the  keel;  but  from 
the  failure  of  the  scheme  as  applied  on  the  outside,  as 
made  by  others   at   about  the  same  time,   he   dropped 


84  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

these  investigations  and  reverted  to  the  side  paddle- 
wheels.  During  the  Winter  of  1802-3,  he  applied  the 
wheels,  as  they  were  afterward  used  in  the  Clermont, 
to  a  working  model,  and  in  the  Spring  he  constructed  an 
experimental  boat.  It  was  too  weakly  framed,  however, 
to  bear  the  great  weight  of  the  machinery,  and  just  as 
the  try-out  was  to  have  taken  place,  a  violent  agitation 
of  the  river  by  wind,  caused  the  boat  to  break  in  two 
and  to  be  carried  to  the  bottom.  The  machinery  was 
very  little  damaged  by  the  accident,  and  Fulton  at  once 
proceeded  to  rebuild  the  hull  of  heavy  and  strong  timbers. 

Early  in  August  he  had  the  boat,  which  was  sixty-six 
feet  in  length  by  eight  feet  beam,  ready  for  its  trial  on 
the  Seine.  In  the  presence  of  a  great  multitude  of  Pari- 
sians, the  experiment  was  a  complete  success,  although 
the  boat  did  not  move  with  as  much  speed  as  Fulton  had 
expected.  It  resulted  after  a  time  in  his  resolve  to  return 
to  his  native  land  to  further  pursue  his  experiments  there; 
and  to  this  end,  with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Livingston,  he  or- 
dered a  cylinder  and  other  parts  of  a  steam  engine  from 
Watt  and  Bolton,  of  Birmingham,  England.  These  parts 
were  of  a  design  that  might  be  put  together  within  the 
compass  suited  to  a  boat,  and  he  directed  that  they  be  sent 
to  America.  Much  delay  attended  the  making  of  this  en- 
gine, and  it  was  not  until  the  early  part  of  1806  that 
Fulton,  after  a  visit  to  England  to  hurry  along  the  ma- 
chinery, returned  to  the  United  States. 

Very  soon  after  Fulton's  arrival  in  New  York,  the 
keel  of  his  new  and  much  larger  vessel  was  laid  in  the 
shipyard  of  Charles  Brown,  on  the  East  River.  The 
hull  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet  in  length, 
eighteen  feet  in  breadth,  and  seven  feet  depth,  and  was 
strong  and  stanchly  built.  The  engine  from  England 
was  finished  and  set  up  almost  amidships,  as  compactly 
as  possible  with  the  boiler  and  other  machinery.  The 
cylinder  was  twenty-four  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  four- 
foot  stroke  of  piston,  which  was  connected  by  a  system 


J 


BEGINNING  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     85 

of  working  beam  near  the  keel  and  ratchets  to  gears  on 
the  wheel  shaft.  The  water-wheels  were  fifteen  feet  in 
diameter,  and  four  feet  the  length  of  the  buckets,  with  a 
two-foot  dip.  The  tonnage  was  one  hundred  and  sixty. 
Separate  cabins  were  provided  for  men  and  women,  and 
arranged  with  some  idea  of  convenience  and  comfort. 
Early  in  August  the  vessel  was  completed,  and  with 
many  friends  of  the  projectors  on  board,  the  Clermont 
put  off  from  the  wharf  and  slowly  moved  out  into  the 
river.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  surprise  and  admira- 
tion of  throngs  of  people  who  witnessed  the  experiment, 
and  the  minds  of  the  most  incredulous  were  changed  in 
a  few  minutes,  as  she  gained  her  speed,  and  they  joined 
in  the  shouts  and  exclamations  of  congratulation  and 
applause.  Some  alterations  were  made  in  the  paddle- 
wheels,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  eleventh  of  August, 
the  Clermont  started  on  a  trip  to  Albany,  where  she 
arrived  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  without 
an  accident  of  any  kind.  Upon  his  return,  Fulton  gave 
out  an  account  of  the  voyage,  as  follows : 

To  THE  Editor  of  the  "American  Citizen": 

Sir:  —  I  arrived  this  afternoon  at  four  o'clock,  in  the  steam- 
boat from  Albany.  As  the  success  of  my  experiment  gives  me 
great  hopes  that  such  boats  may  be  rendered  of  great  impor- 
tance to  my  country,  to  prevent  erroneous  opinions  and  give 
some  satisfaction  to  the  friends  of  useful  improvements,  you 
will  have  the  goodness  to  publish  the  following  statement  of 
facts. 

I  left  New  York  on  Monday,  at  one  o'clock,  and  arrived  at 
Clermont,  the  seat  of  Chancellor  Livingston,  at  one  o'clock  on 
Tuesday  —  time  twenty-four  hours  - —  distance  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles.  On  Wednesday,  I  departed  from  the  Chancellor's  at 
nine  in  the  morning  and  arrived  at  Albany  at  five  in  the  after- 
noon —  distance  forty  miles  —  time  eight  hours.  The  sum  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  thirty-two  hours  —  equal  to  near  five 
miles  an  hour.  On  Thursday,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I 
left  Albany,  and  arrived  at  the  Chancellor's  at  six  in  the  even- 
ing; I  started  from  thence  at  seven,  and  arrived  in  New  York  at 
four  in  the  afternoon  —  time  thirty  hours  —  equal  to  five  miles 


86  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

an  hour.  Throughout  the  whole  way,  both  going  and  returning, 
the  wind  was  ahead;  no  advantage  could  be  derived  from  my 
sails;  the  whole  has  therefore  been  performed  by  the  power  of 
the  steam-engine. 

I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Robert  Fulton. 

During  the  first  three  months  of  operation,  the  Cler- 
mont was  subjected  to  a  number  of  changes  in  hull, 
paddles,  and  machinery,  as  suggested  by  the  genius  of 
Fulton,  and  he  secured  two  patents  for  improvements, 
but  in  his  whole  career,  he  never  claimed  to  have 
"invented"  the  steamboat.  It  was  his  theoretical 
knowledge  of  mechanics,  and  its  practical  adaptation 
to  useful  purposes,  which  accounts  for  his  success  in 
steam  navigation. 

The  success  of  the  pioneer  steamboat  soon  led  to 
the  building  of  other  vessels  having  the  same  motive 
power,  of  which  the  Car  of  Neptune  and  the  Paragon 
were  operated  on  the  Hudson  River.  The  cost  of  build- 
ing and  equipping  a  vessel  of  Fulton's  type  ranged  from 
forty  thousand  to  sixty  thousand  dollars;  and  only  the 
most  sanguine  of  the  adherents  of  steam  navigation 
ventured  their  money  in  the  enterprise.  Nevertheless, 
in  ten  years  there  were  fifteen  Fulton  boats  on  New  York 
waters;  and  others  from  Fulton's  plans  were  built  on  the 
Mississippi  and  its  tributaries. 

Although  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence,  in  its  flow  to 
the  ocean,  forms  the  outlet  of  the  combined  waters  of 
the  Inland  Seas,  it  is  not  generally  included  in  the  des- 
ignation "  Great  Lakes  ";  but  because  of  its  intimate  re- 
lation to  these  bodies,  and  its  historic  events  pertaining 
to  navigation  being  of  no  little  interest,  it  will  be  con- 
sidered a  part  of  these  waterways. 

The  first  steamboat  to  ply  on  the  St.  Lawrence  was 
the  Dalhoiisic,  which  was  built  in  1809,  at  Prcscott,  On- 
tario. It  had  scarcely  taken  its  route  between  that  place 
and  Montreal  when  the  Accommodation  was  completed  to 
run  between  the  latter  point  and  Quebec.    This  steamboat 


BEGINNING  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     87 

was  of  the  side-wheel  type,  following  closely  Fulton's 
models.  It  was  built  at  Montreal,  and  of  its  first  trip, 
the  "Quebec  Mercury,"  of  November  5,   1809,  said: 

"On  Saturday  morning  there  arrived  from  Montreal,  being 
her  first  trip,  the  steamboat  Accommodation,  with  ten  passengers. 
This  is  the  first  vessel  of  the  kind  that  ever  appeared  in  this 
harbour.  She  is  continually  crowded  with  visitants.  She  left 
Montreal  on  Wednesday,  at  two  p.  m.,  so  that  the  passage  was 
made  in  sixty-six  hours.  She  has  at  present  berths  for  twenty 
passengers,  which  next  year  will  be  considerably  augmented. 
No  wind  or  tide  can  stop  her.  She  has  seventy-five  feet  of  keel, 
and  her  deck  is  eighty-five  feet  long.  The  price  for  a  passage 
up  is  nine  dollars,  and  eight  dollars  down,  the  vessel  supplying 
provisions.  The  great  advantage  attending  a  vessel  so  con- 
structed is  that  a  passage  may  be  calculated  on  to  a  degree  of 
certainty  in  point  of  time.  The  steamboat  receives  her  impulse 
from  an  open  double-spoked  perpendicular  wheel  on  each  side, 
without  any  circular  band  or  rim.  To  the  end  of  each  double 
spoke  is  fixed  a  square  board,  which  enters  the  water  and  by  a 
rotary  motion  of  the  wheel  acts  like  a  paddle.  The  wheels  are 
put  and  kept  by  steam  operating  within  the  vessel.  A  mast  is 
to  be  fixed  in  her  for  the  purpose  of  using  a  sail  when  the  wind 
is  favorable,  which  will  occasionally  accelerate  her  headway." 

Between  18 12  and  18 18  there  were  built  at  Montreal 
for  service  exclusively  on  the  river,  the  steamboats  Swift- 
sure,  Car  of  Commerce,  Caledonia,  New  Swiftsiire,  Mai- 
sham,  Lady  Sherbrooke,  Telegraph,  and  Quebec  ist. 
These  were  all  flat-bottomed  river  boats,  but  in  the  Winter 
of  1 8 16-17  a  hull  of  entirely  different  proportions  was 
constructed  at  Ogdensburg,  and  was  the  first  steam  ves- 
sel to  be  placed  on  water  subject  to  a  swell.  From  this 
was  derived  the  true  meaning  of  its  being  built  to  "test 
the  power  of  steam  against  wind  and  wave."  To  con- 
struct any  steamer  for  use  on  the  waters  of  Lake  On- 
tario, it  was  necessary  to  secure  from  the  heirs  of  Robert 
Fulton  a  patent  grant,  and  to  this  fact  is  attributed  the 
ten  years'  delay  in  inaugurating  steam  navigation  upon 
the  Great  Lakes. 

The  steamboat  Ontario  was  launched  in  April,   1817, 


88  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

but  the  action  of  waves  and  the  rolling  motion  of  swells 
were  so  little  understood  by  the  mechanics  of  the  West, 
that  on  her  first  trip  up  Lake  Ontario,  the  defects  in  the 
installation  of  her  machinery  nearly  resulted  in  disaster, 
and  she  was  talven  back  to  port  in  a  disabled  condition. 
The  paddle-wheel  shaft,  which  in  the  river  boats  had 
been  secured  in  place  by  their  weight,  were  not  held  by 
other  than  wooden  blocks,  and  the  force  of  the  waves 
soon  lifted  the  shaft  clear  of  any  fastenings,  causing  the 
wheels  to  tear  away  their  coverings,  and  to  rack  the 
machinery.  After  a  proper  device  had  been  provided 
to  hold  the  shaft  in  place,  the  steamboat  made  weekly 
trips  between  Ogdensburg  and  Lewiston,  but  the  dis- 
tance was  too  great,  and  in  July  the  round  trip  was 
changed  to  ten  days.  The  speed  seldom  exceeded  five 
miles  an  hour,  but  the  fare  exacted  for  the  through  trip 
was  fifteen  dollars.  The  Ontario  continued  on  the  route 
until  1832,  when  she  was  broken  up  at  Oswego. 

The  first  Canadian  steamboat  on  Lake  Ontario  was 
the  Frontenac,  built  in  1817,  and  left  Kingston  on  June 
5,  for  her  first  trip  up  the  lake.  It  was  one  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  long  by  thirty-two  feet  beam,  and  had  no 
guards  except  at  the  wheels.  There  were  three  masts, 
though  no  yards  were  carried.  Being  painted  black.  It 
had  much  the  appearance  of  an  ocean  steamer  of  the 
period,  and  the  cost  was  about  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE     fVALK-IN-rUE-fVArER  PIONEER    STEAMBOAT 

STEAMBOAT 

Causes  of  Delay  in  Inaugurating  Steam  Navigation  on  the  Great  Lakes 

—  Building  of  First  Steamboat  —  Name  Suggested  —  Fulton's  Plans 

—  Dimensions  and  Description  —  Accounts  of  First  Voyage  to 
Detroit  —  Rates  of  Fare  and  So  Forth  —  Its  Wreck  —  Passengers 
AND  Baggage  Saved  —  Machinery  Recovered  —  New  Vessel  Planned 

—  Rivalry  of  Buffalo  and  Black  Rock  —  The  Superior  —  Built  in 
Buffalo  Creek  —  Deepening  of  Channel  Leading  to  Lake  —  Launch 
and  Passage  Out  —  Rapid  Growth  of  Buffalo. 

THE  waters  of  the  Inland  Seas  had  not  known  the 
churn  of  paddle-wheels,  nor  had  the  Indians  along 
their  shores  their  first  sight  of  the  "  big  canoes  belching 
fire  and  smoke,"  until  about  ten  years  after  Robert  Fulton 
had  given  the  world  its  first  successful  steamboat.  While 
this  most  important  advance  in  the  science  of  navigation 
had  not  been  extended  to  Ontario  waters,  because  the 
special  grants  given  Fulton  and  his  associates  by  the 
State  of  New  York  discouraged  others  from  engaging  In 
steamboating  on  those  waters,  the  lapse  in  progress  upon 
Lake  Erie  and  the  three  upper  lakes  was  due  to  very  dif- 
ferent causes.  During  the  first  decade  following  the  mo- 
mentous event  in  navigation,  the  settlements  along  the 
chain  of  Great  Lakes  and  the  connecting  rivers  were  still 
very  much  in  their  primitive  state;  and  the  War  of  1812 
had  checked  immigration  almost  entirely.  They  had  not 
yet  reached  the  permanency  of  population  to  create  a 
commerce  requiring  vessels  as  large  or  as  costly  as 
Fulton's    steamboats. 

The  small  sailing  vessels  were  entirely  adequate  for 
the  traffic,  and  It  is  related  that  the  first  merchant  brig 
on  the  lakes,  the   Union,  which  was  built  at  Huron,  in 


90  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

1 8 14,  although  of  only  ninety-three  tons'  burden,  proved 
too  large  for  the  business  offered,  and  it  was  put  out  of 
commission.  A  contributory  cause  for  the  delay  lay  in  the 
fact  that  the  improvements  made  during  the  period  were 
along  lines  adapted  exclusively  to  the  steamers  in  service 
on  the  Hudson  and  the  Western  rivers,  which  were  built 
only  for  quiet  and  calm  waters.  Until  18 13,  two  years 
preceding  Fulton's  death,  the  steamboat  upon  waters  sub- 
ject to  wave  and  swell  was  still  an  untried  experiment. 

The  first  steamboat  to  ply  regularly  between  ports 
on  the  Inland  Seas,  as  a  mechanical  and  commercial  suc- 
cess and  paying  a  fair  dividend  to  its  owners,  was  the 
JV alk-in-the-W ater.  This  singular  name  was  suggested 
by  an  incident  related  by  an  old  navigator  of  the  lakes: 

"When  Fulton  first  steamed  his  boat,  the  Clermont,  up  the 
Hudson,  in  1807,  an  Indian  standing  on  the  river  bank,  gazing 
long  and  silently  at  the  boat  moving  up  stream  without  sails, 
finally  exclaimed:  'Walks  in  Water.'  The  man  of  the  forest 
saw  the  boat  stemming  the  current,  unaided  by  any  power 
known  to  him.  He  observed  the  paddle-wheels  slowly  revolv- 
ing and  intuitively  comprehended  that  when  a  paddle  struck 
the  water  there  was  a  step  forward." 

The  name  JFalk-'in-the-JFater,  however,  being  so  long 
was  not  generally  used  either  in  conversation  or  print. 
Being  the  only  boat  of  her  class  on  Lake  Erie,  where  she 
plied  regularly,  she  was  usually  designated  as  "  the 
steamboat." 

This  historic  vessel  which  well  earned  the  title  of  pio- 
neer steamboat  on  the  Great  Lakes,  was  built  early  in 
1 8 18  at  the  mouth  of  Scajaguada  Creek,  in  the  village  of 
Black  Rock.  At  that  time  and  for  several  years  pre- 
ceding, Nathaniel  Sill  and  two  or  three  others  had  ware- 
houses at  Black  Rock,  situated  nearly  opposite  the  head 
of  Squaw  Island;  and  just  below  them  was  the  shipyard 
which  had  seen  the  birth  of  many  of  the  lake  sailing 
craft.  Excepting  the  few  buildings  and  the  surrounding 
clearings  near  the  river  bank,  all  the  land  in  the  vicinity 


3  O 

3  O 

a. 

3-  „ 


i    a: 


o    -^ 


PIONEER   STEAMBOAT  91- 

of  Black  Rock  was  covered  with  native  forest,  A  large 
proportion  of  the  timber  was  white  oak  which,  as 
is  well  known,  is  the  principal  timber  used  in  ship- 
building. This  timber  land  extended  over  the  greater 
part  of  what  is  now  the  city  of  Buffalo. 

Much  of  the  travel  between  the  villages  of  Black  Rock 
and  Buffalo  was  by  way  of  the  beach,  and  passed  the 
sand  hills  which  had  been  thrown  up  and  piled  against 
the  edge  of  the  forest  by  the  wind  and  waves.  The  place 
was  known  as  "  Sandytown,"  and  it  was  at  the  foot  of 
York  Street,  now  Porter  Avenue,  Buffalo.  There  was 
excellent  fishing  off  the  sandy  beach,  which  drew  large 
numbers  of  the  Senecas,  and  the  camp  became  the  rendez- 
vous of  the  savage  and  warlike  tribes.  They  collected 
quantities  of  driftwood  which  came  down  the  lake  and 
was  cast  up  by  the  southwest  storms,  and  their  camp 
fires  at  night,  lighting  a  considerable  stretch  of  beach, 
formed  a  scene  long  remembered  by  the  early  settlers. 

The  keel  of  the  vessel  was  laid  by  Noah  Brown,  who 
had  built  several  of  the  steamboats  running  from  New 
York;  and  the  construction  was  according  to  plans  by 
Fulton,  and  followed  very  closely  the  dimensions  of  the 
steamer  bearing  his  name,  which  had  been  built  five  years 
before.  The  W alk-in-the-W ater  was  launched  on  May 
28,  181 8,  and  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  in 
length  of  deck,  thirty-two  feet  breadth,  and  eight  feet,  six 
inches  depth  of  hull,  registering  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  gross  tons.  She  had  two  masts  carrying  mainsail, 
foresail,  and  foretopmast  staysail,  which  were  always  used 
when  the  wind  was  favorable.  Her  paddle-wheels  were 
placed  exactly  amidships,  and  the  machinery  was  below 
the  deck.  The  boiler  was  forward  of  the  wheels,  and 
measured  twenty  feet  long  by  nine  feet  in  diameter,  while 
the  long  smokestack  pointed  upward  rakishly,  the  whole 
effect  causing  a  native  Frenchman,  upon  seeing  the  vessel 
for  the  first  time,  to  exclaim,  "  Jean,  Jean,  just  see !  what 
are  these  Yankees  a-sending  us  now  but  a  saw-mill." 


92  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

The  machinery  of  this  pioneer  steamboat  of  the  Inland 
Seas  was  of  greatly  improved  design  over  that  of  the  Cler- 
mont, for  the  development  of  the  steam  engine  and  the 
application  of  its  power  in  the  propulsion  of  vessels  had 
been  very  rapid  during  the  latter  years  of  Fulton's  life. 
The  engine  was  of  the  vertical  type,  having  a  cylinder 
thirty-six  inches  in  diameter  by  four  feet  stroke,  and  with 
its  air  pump,  condenser,  and  connecting  gear  of  an  im- 
proved plan,  it  developed  much  greater  power  than  any 
that  had  as  yet  been  constructed.  The  paddle-wheels 
were  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  buckets  were  four 
feet,  ten  inches  long,  with  a  dip  of  two  feet,  six  inches. 
Properly  placed  in  the  well-rounded  hull  of  the  sea-going 
vessel,  the  speed  exceeded  that  of  any  steamboat  of  the 
times.  It  is  an  historical  fact  of  some  interest  that  the 
engines  of  the  JV alk-'m-the-JV ater  were  in  constant  use 
during  the  navigation  season  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
having  been  installed  in  two  successive  hulls  following  the 
wreck  of  the  pioneer. 

The  interior  arrangement  of  "  the  steamboat  "  was  cal- 
culated to  afford  a  degree  of  comfort  to  the  traveller, 
unknown  in  the  sailing  vessels;  and  in  point  of  privacy 
the  cabins  were  admirably  planned.  In  the  extreme  bow 
was  the  galley,  and  next  to  it  the  dinlng-saloon,  and  small 
smoking-room.  The  baggage  and  cargo  space  extended 
from  there  to  the  boiler  and  engine  room  in  the  amidship 
section.  Aft  of  the  machinery  was  the  men's  cabin 
with  Its  rows  of  berths,  and  In  the  stern  the  women's 
cabin,  similarly  arranged,  was  located.  These  cabins 
opened  out  into  a  vestibule  from  which  the  companion- 
way  led  to  the  deck  above.  The  high  bow  and  stern,  as 
faithfully  portrayed  In  the  contemporaneous  drawings  of 
**  the  steamboat,"  were  features  thought  to  give  unusual 
sea  qualities  to  buffet  the  wind  and  waves. 

The  JValk-\n-thc-Jf'atcr  was  completed  about  the 
middle  of  August,  her  license  and  enrolment  bearing  the 
date   of  August   22,    1818.      Her   owners   being   mostly 


PIONEER    STEAMBOAT  93 

residents  of  New  York  evidently  were  reluctant  to  trust 
their  vessel  to  the  navigation  of  fresh-water  skippers, 
for  they  brought  from  the  Hudson  Captain  Job  Fish,  to 
command.  He  had  been  an  engineer  for  Fulton,  Living- 
ston &  Co.,  and  was  known  to  be  a  careful  and  experi- 
enced sailor.  The  first  pilot  was  John  Davis,  a  lake  sailor. 
Everything  being  in  readiness  the  vessel  cast  loose  from 
the  natural  rock  wharf,  which  gave  Black  Rock  its  name, 
early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty-third,  and  started 
on  her  maiden  trip  up  the  Niagara  River.  At  that  point 
the  current  of  the  river  is  very  swift,  almost  attaining  the 
force  of  rapids,  and  the  little  steamboat,  her  wheels 
churning  the  water  into  foam,  could  make  no  progress 
against  it.  Her  twenty-nine  passengers  were  beginning 
to  wonder  how  the  vessel  was  ever  to  reach  the  open  wa- 
ters of  Lake  Erie,  only  a  few  miles  away,  when  they  wit- 
nessed the  application  of  a  decidedly  unique  power  to 
help  them  on  their  way.  Captain  Fish  managed  to  send 
a  line  ashore  supported  by  two  skiffs,  the  shore  end  of 
which  was  hitched  to  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  by  their  efforts 
the  vessel  slowly  ascended  the  river  to  the  lake. 

To  the  hundreds  of  inhabitants  lined  on  the  shore  to 
witness  the  departure  of  the  first  steamboat  to  ply  on 
Lake  Erie,  the  scene  must  have  been  novel  and  pictur- 
esque. Only  a  little  way  from  the  bank  the  marine  pride 
of  the  West  was  struggling  with  the  swift  current,  her 
paddle-wheels  revolving  to  their  utmost  speed,  while  her 
engine  puffed  and  fumed  and  great  clouds  of  dense  smoke 
and  red-hot  cinders  poured  from  her  stack.  On  the  beach 
the  yoke  of  oxen  tugged  steadily  at  the  end  of  a  long  tow 
line,  the  combined  efforts  of  beast  and  steam  proving  suf- 
ficient to  move  the  vessel  forward.  This  was  the  his- 
torical "  horned  breeze  "  on  the  Niagara  River  brought 
into  use  when  the  current  was  stronger  than  the  applied 
steam  power. 

An  important  article  of  equipment  on  the  steamboat 
was  a  small  cannon,  a  four-pounder,  mounted  on  wheels 


94  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

and  securely  fastened  on  the  forward  deck.  Steam 
whistles  had  not  been  brought  into  use  in  those  days,  and 
the  cannon  was  fired  before  leaving  as  a  warning  she 
would  depart  in  a  half-hour.  On  arrival  off  a  village  it 
was  fired,  a  mile  away,  to  let  the  people  know  she  was 
coming.  The  third  or  fourth  season  after  the  steamboat 
was  put  in  service,  during  a  gale,  the  fastenings  of  the 
cannon  became  loosened  and  it  was  lost  overboard.  On 
all  the  chain  of  lakes  there  were  no  harbors  other  than 
formed  by  nature,  at  this  time,  and  no  docks  or  landings 
had  been  built  on  Lake  Erie.  The  JF alk-'ui-the-JV ater 
would  run  in  as  close  to  shore  as  the  depth  of  water  would 
admit  and  anchor,  sending  the  passengers  and  goods 
ashore  in  a  small  boat.  Upon  running  on  the  beach 
sailors  took  the  women  and  children  on  their  backs  and 
waded  through  the  surf  to  dry  ground.  If  the  weather 
was  stormy  or  the  lake  too  rough  for  making  safe  land- 
ings, the  passengers  and  goods  were  taken  on  to  the  end 
of  the  route  and  brought  back  and  landed  on  the  return 
trip. 

On  her  first  trip  the  IV alk-in-the-W ater  stopped  at 
Dunkirk  and  Erie,  and  arrived  off  Cleveland  about  noon 
of  the  following  day.  Of  this  important  event  the  ac- 
count of  an  eye-witness  is  interesting  as  showing  the  in- 
credulous attitude  of  the  people  toward  a  vessel  propelled 
by  power  of  man's  creation.     He  relates: 

"On  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  August,  i8i8,  an  entire  novelty 
—  the  like  of  which  not  one  in  five  hundred  of  the  inhabitants 
had  ever  before  seen  —  presented  itself  before  the  people  of 
Cuyahoga  County.  On  that  day  the  residents  along  the  lake 
shore  of  Euclid  saw  upon  the  lake  a  curious  kind  of  vessel  making 
what  was  considered  very  rapid  progress  westward,  without  the 
aid  of  sails,  while  from  a  pipe  near  the  middle  rolled  forth  a 
dark  cloud  of  smoke,  which  trailed  its  gloomy  length  far  into 
the  rear  of  the  swift-gliding  mysterious  traveller  over  the  deep. 
They  watched  its  westward  course  until  it  turned  its  prow 
toward  the  harbor  of  Cleveland;  and  then  turned  back  to  their 
labor.     Many  of  them  doubtless  knew  what  it  was,  but  some 


PIONEER    STEAMBOAT  95 

shook  their  heads  in  sad  surmise  as  to  whether  some  evil  powers 
were  not  at  work  in  producing  such  a  strange  phenomenon  as 
that  on  the  bosom  of  their  beloved  Lake  Erie.  Meanwhile  the 
citizens  of  Cleveland,  perceiving  the  approach  of  the  monster, 
hastened  to  the  lake  shore  to  examine  it.  'What  is  it?  What 
is  it.''  Where  did  it  come  from.''  What  makes  it  go?' queried 
one  and  another  of  the  excited  throng.  'It's  the  steamboat! 
that 's  what  it  is!'  cried  others  in  reply.  'Yes!  Yes!  it 's  the 
steamboat,'  was  the  general  shout,  and  with  ringing  cheers,  the 
people  welcomed  the  first  vessel  propelled  by  steam  that  had 
ever  traversed  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie.  .  .  .  The  steamboat 
was  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  tons'  capacity,  and  could 
carry  one  hundred  cabin  passengers,  and  a  still  greater  number 
could  be  accommodated  in  the  steerage.  Its  best  speed  was 
eight  to  ten  miles  an  hour,  and  this  was  considered  wonderful. 
All  Cleveland  swarmed  on  board  to  examine  the  new  craft, 
and  many  leading  citizens  took  passage  in  it  to  Detroit,  for 
which  place  it  soon  set  forth." 

Proceeding  westward  the  steamboat  shortly  after  mid- 
night arrived  off  Sandusky  Bay,  where  she  anchored  until 
morning,  when  she  entered  the  bay  and  took  on  a  load  of 
wood.  She  then  turned  her  prow  northward  by  west, 
steaming  among  the  islands  of  Lake  Erie  en  route  for  the 
mouth  of  Detroit  River.  The  welcome  given  the  steam- 
boat at  Detroit,  and  the  account  of  the  entire  trip  from 
Buffalo,  was  graphically  narrated  in  the  Detroit  Gazette 
of  August  26,   1818: 

"Yesterday  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  eleven,  a.  m.,  the 
elegant  steamboat,  Walk-in-the- Water,  Captain  Job  Fish,  ar- 
rived. As  she  passed  the  public  wharf  and  that  owned  by  Mr. 
J.  S.  Roby,  she  was  cheered  by  hundreds  of  the  inhabitants  who 
had  collected  to  witness  (in  these  waters)  a  truly  novel  and  grand 
spectacle.  She  came  to  at  Wing's  wharf.  She  left  Buffalo  at 
half-past  one  o'clock  on  the  twenty-third,  and  arrived  off  Dun- 
kirk at  thirty-five  minutes  past  six  o'clock  on  the  same  day. 
On  the  next  morning  she  arrived  at  Erie,  Captain  Fish  having  re- 
duced her  speed  during  the  night  in  order  not  to  pass  that  place, 
where  she  took  on  a  supply  of  wood.  At  half-past  seven,  a.  m., 
she  left  Erie  and  came  to  off  Cleveland  at  about  eleven  o'clock. 
At  twenty  minutes  past  six  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  she 
steamed  from  off  Cleveland,  and  arrived  off  Sandusky  Bay  at 


96  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  where  she  anchored  until  daybreak, 
when  she  proceeded  up  the  bay  to  Venice  to  wood.  She  left 
Venice  at  three,  p.  m.,  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  Detroit  River, 
where  she  anchored  during  the  night,  the  whole  time  employed 
in  sailing  in  this  first  voyage  from  Buffalo  to  this  town,  being 
forty-four  hours  and  ten  minutes,  the  wind  being  ahead  dur- 
ing the  whole  passage.  Not  the  slightest  accident  happened 
during  the  voyage,  and  all  the  machinery  worked  admirably. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  surprise  of  the  sons  of  the  forest 
on  seeing  the  W alk-in-the-W ater  moving  majestically  and 
rapidly  against  a  strong  current,  without  assistance  of  sails  or 
oars.  They  lined  the  banks  near  Maiden,  and  expressed  their 
astonishment  by  repeated  shouts  of  '  Tai-yoh-nichee.'  A  report 
had  been  circulated  among  them  that  a  big  canoe  would  soon 
come  from  the  'noisy  waters,'  which,  by  order  of  the  Great 
Father  of  the  Cho-mo-ko-mous,  would  be  drawn  through  the 
lakes  by  sturgeon.  Of  the  truth  of  this  report  they  are  now 
perfectly  satisfied.  The  cabins  of  this  boat  are  fitted  up  in  a 
neat,  convenient,  and  elegant  style;  and  the  manner  in  which 
she  is  found  does  honor  to  the  proprietors  and  her  commander. 
A  passage  between  this  place  and  Buffalo  is  not  now  merely 
tolerable,  but  truly  pleasant.  To-day  she  will  make  a  trip  to 
Lake  St.  Clair  with  a  large  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
She  will  leave  for  BuflFalo  to-morrow,  and  may  be  expected  to 
visit  us  again  next  week." 

During  her  stay  at  Detroit  the  W  alk-in-the-W  ater  was 
the  wonder  of  all,  and  she  was  visited  by  many  people, 
some  of  whom  travelled  from  beyond  the  little  settlement 
to  see  this  marvellous  craft.  Among  the  curious  ones 
were  quite  a  number  of  Indians,  who  manifested  great 
astonishment  and  wonder.  In  their  way  they  wanted  to 
see  and  examine  everything  about  the  boat.  While  they 
were  very  intently  engaged  in  examining  the  engine  which 
they  understood  "  pulled  "  the  boat  along,  the  huge  boiler 
and  paddle-wheels,  the  engineer,  Mr.  Calhoun,  lifted  the 
safety  lever  letting  off  steam  under  its  greatest  pressure 
at  the  time.  The  Indians  started  with  a  spring,  leap,  and 
bound  off  and  away  from  the  boat,  and  ran  up  the  hill, 
through  the  village,  nor  did  they  lessen  their  speed  until 
they  were  out  of  sight  of  the  white  man's  "  big  canoe." 


PIONEER    STEAMBOAT 


97 


For  a  long  time  after  no  Indian  could  be  Induced  to  ap- 
proach nearer  the  hissing  monster  than  the  top  of  the  hill. 

From  an  old  advertisement  of  the  steamboat  published 
in  the  Niagara  Patriot,  of  September  15,  181 8,  some 
interesting  facts  of  operation  are  obtained.  In  this  curi- 
ous sheet  the  sailings  are  announced  as  to  take  place  "  on 
the  fifteenth  and  twenty-sixth  of  September,  the  seventh, 
seventeenth,  and  twenty-seventh  of  October;  and  the 
sixth  and  sixteenth  of  November,  at  four  o'cloclc,  p.  M. 
Returning  she  will  leave  Detroit  the  twenty-first  of  Sep- 
tember, the  second,  twelfth,  and  twenty-second  of  Oc- 
tober, and  the  first  and  eleventh  of  November,  at  four, 
P.  M."  This  shows  that  a  round  trip  required  about  nine 
days,  although  the  actual  time  of  the  steamboat  while 
under  way  during  the  single  passage  between  the  two 
places  averaged  about  forty-two  hours,  more  time  being 
spent  at  anchor,  making  landings,  taking  on  wood  for 
fuel,  and  lying  at  the  wharfs  at  the  terminal  points.  The 
distance  covered  in  a  single  passage  was  about  three 
hundred  and  twenty  miles,  giving  an  average  speed  of 
nearly  seven  and  one-half  miles  an  hour. 

The  fuel  used  in  the  boiler  of  the  W alk-in-the-JV ater 
was  entirely  of  bass,  pine,  and  hemlock,  all  split  fine  and 
well  seasoned.  Hardwood  did  not  seem  to  answer  so 
well  In  the  boilers  then  used,  as  that  which  would  make 
a  more  lively  and  Intense  fire  was  needed.  Bituminous 
coal  had  not  then  been  brought  Into  use  on  the  frontier, 
and  it  would  not  have  been  used  anyway.  The  wood 
delivered  at  the  dock  cost  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  to  two 
dollars  a  cord,  and  the  farmers  along  the  lake  shore, 
near  the  regular  stopping  places  of  the  vessel,  found  It 
quite  to  their  advantage  to  secure  the  contract  for  fur- 
nishing wood  for  *'  the  steamboat."  Many  of  them  had 
quantities  of  dry  seasoned  fuel  timber  for  sale,  as  they 
were  clearing  off  their  lands  in  preparation  for  culti- 
vation. 

The  rates  of  fare  early  established  by  the  steamboat, 


98  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

including  accommodations  and  meals,  seem  very  high  in 
comparison  with  the  rates  of  to-day  and  were: 

"  From  Black  Rock  and  Buffalo  to  Dunkirk,  ;?3 .00  cabin;   $1.50  steer. 

Erie,  6.00      "  2.50 

Grand  River,  10.00,      "  4.00 

Cleveland,         12.00      "  5.00 

Sandusky,  15.00      "  5.50 

Detroit,  18.00      "  7.00 

Waiters  half  price  of  cabin  passengers.  A  cabin  is  fitted  up  for  the  accom- 
modation of  families,  who  with  their  baggage  will  be  carried  at  very  low 
rates." 

These  rates  were  afterward  reduced  to  fifteen  dollars, 
and  again  to  twelve  dollars  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit,  and 
proportionately  between  intermediate  points.  In  com- 
parison with  these,  the  rates  of  to-day  on  the  fast  mod- 
ern lake  liners  vary  from  six  to  eight  dollars,  including 
berth  and  meals;  and  the  distance,  by  the  direct  route  of 
two  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  is  covered  by  the  Buffalo 
boats  in  fourteen  hours,  or  an  average  speed  through  the 
open  stretches  of  the  lake  of  twenty  miles  an  hour. 
The  stateroom  accommodations  of  these  great  "side- 
wheelers"  are  eight  hundred  passengers;  and  besides, 
one  thousand  tons  of  package  freight  can  be  carried  on 
the  main  deck  forward. 

The  W alk-in-the-JV ater,  during  her  short  career,  never 
entered  the  stream  to  Buffalo,  for  the  very  good  reason 
that  no  harbor  the  waters  of  which  would  have  floated  her 
existed  there.  During  the  passages  of  the  year  1818 
it  was  the  practice  of  the  steamboat  to  haul  to  opposite 
Buffalo  to  take  on  and  deliver  passengers  and  baggage. 
When  she  started  the  navigation  season  of  18 19,  when 
passing  Buffalo  Creek,  a  yawl  came  out  and  the  passengers 
hailed  her.  They  were  answered  as  she  went  steadily 
on  her  way  with,  "  Gentlemen,  you  must  distinctly  un- 
derstand that  the  port  from  which  we  sail  is  Black  Rock." 
So  the  passengers  were  obliged  to  return  to  the  little 
village  of  Buffalo,  and  they  secured  accommodations  in  a 
sailing  vessel  at  anchor  in  the  bay,  or  waited  until  the  next 


PIONEER    STEAMBOAT  99 

trip  of  the  steamboat,  ten  days  after,  and  then  they  went 
aboard  at  the  dock  at  Black  Rock.  The  most  intense 
rivah'y  for  supremacy  existed  between  the  two  villages, 
and  after  many  struggles  for  a  decided  advantage,  the 
turning  point  in  favor  of  Buffalo,  and  which  made  it  a 
port  and  place  of  commercial  importance,  was  the  build- 
ing of  another  steamboat  —  the  successor  to  the  Walk- 
in-the-fFater. 

The  steamboat  had  continued  in  service  during  the 
seasons  of  1819,  1820,  and  1821,  earning  a  handsome 
profit  for  her  owners,  when  her  short  history  was  brought 
to  an  end  by  wreck  on  November  i,  1821.  She  had  left 
her  dock  at  Black  Rock  on  her  regular  trip,  at  four 
o'clock,  P.  M,,  and  upon  reaching  the  lake  encountered 
threatening  weather.  Continuing  on  her  course  for  a  few 
miles  into  the  open  lake,  the  rising  storm  compelled  her 
captain  to  anchor  for  safety,  near  the  shore.  Toward 
morning  the  storm  increased  to  a  gale,  which  tore  the 
vessel  loose  from  her  anchorage,  and  she  was  driven 
rapidly  and  helplessly  on  the  shore.  She  struck  the  light 
sandy  beach  just  above  the  old  lighthouse,  and  nearly 
opposite  the  foot  of  Main  Street,  Buffalo.  She  was 
driven  so  high  on  the  shore  that  the  engineer,  Mr.  Cal- 
houn, jumped  overboard,  waded  to  land,  and  started 
for  the  village  to  give  the  alarm,  the  catastrophe  being 
hidden  from  the  sight  of  villagers  by  the  forest  along  the 
shore.  General  Lucius  Storrs,  Captain  Benjamin  Caryl, 
keepers  of  the  Mansion  House,  and  others  quickly  re- 
sponded, and  were  soon  on  their  way  across  the  creek, 
hastening  to  the  stranded  steamboat.  Aided  by  the 
efforts  of  Captain  Rogers,  Pilot  William  T.  Miller,  and 
the  crew,  the  rescuers  stretched  a  line  from  the  vessel 
to  the  shore,  along  which  a  small  boat  was  guided  back 
and  forth,  thus  landing  all  the  passengers  safely.  They 
were  taken  to  the  Mansion  House  and  given  dry  clothing, 
and  otherwise  made  as  comfortable  as  shipwrecked  peo- 
ple could  well  be. 


loo  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

The  stranded  vessel  did  not  at  once  go  to  pieces  and  the 
baggage  and  goods  were  saved  during  the  day  and  taken 
to  Buffalo.  When  the  gale  had  subsided  and  the  waters 
of  Lake  Erie  had  resumed  their  normal  level,  the 
wrecked  hulk  was  found  to  be  high  and  dry  on  the  beach, 
and  an  examination  of  the  machinery  showed  the  engine 
and  boiler  to  be  but  little  damaged.  The  mass  of  broken 
wood  and  twisted  bars  had  scarcely  settled  in  the  sands 
ere  it  was  proposed  to  build  another  steamboat,  and  Noah 
Brown  came  from  New  York  to  contract  for  the  work. 
The  engine,  boiler,  and  machinery  were  recovered  from 
the  wreck  in  good  condition  for  use  in  the  new  vessel 
which  was  built  during  the  Winter  of  1821-22. 

At  this  juncture  a  great  controversy  arose  between  the 
citizens  of  Black  Rock  and  Buffalo  as  to  the  place  where 
the  new  steamboat  should  be  built,  and  it  grew  very  bitter. 
For  ten  years  preceding.  Black  Rock  had  been  the  prin- 
cipal port  at  the  east  end  of  Lake  Erie,  Buffalo,  at  the 
time  being  of  much  less  importance,  as  the  outlet  of  Buf- 
falo Creek  afforded  only  sufficient  water  for  flat  boats, 
and  after  a  heavy  blow  there  was  not  even  that  depth. 
The  people  of  Black  Rock  declared  that  if  the  vessel  were 
built  in  the  shallow  creek,  it  would  rot  before  it  floated 
on  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie.  Both  places  agreed  to  furnish 
all  timber  at  a  low  price,  and  made  other  concessions,  but 
In  the  end  Buffalo  prevailed  by  giving  In  addition,  bonds 
for  a  large  amount,  guaranteeing  that  the  channel  of 
the  creek  would  be  deepened  by  a  certain  time  so  that 
the  new  steamboat  when  completed  could  be  floated 
out  into  the  lake.  As  a  penalty  the  owners  were  to  be 
paid  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  each  day  it  should 
be  delayed  after  completion. 

1  he  deepening  of  the  channel  of  Buffalo  Creek  was  a 
great  undertaking  for  the  people  in  those  days,  but  after 
heroic  efforts  the  task  was  accomplished  within  the 
specified  time,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  inhabitants.  With- 
out  the   aid   of   excavating   machinery,    for   such   means 


PIONEER    STEAMBOAT  loi 

were  unknown,  the  people  devised  crude  scrapers  and  by 
great  labor  removed  the  sand  from  the  waterway.  First, 
piles  were  driven  by  means  of  a  "  driver,"  extemporized 
from  an  old  mortar.  A  scraper  was  made  of  a  log  sawed 
in  half  lengthwise,  and  armed  at  the  edge,  thus  left,  with 
long  saw  blades.  This  crude  and  unwieldly  device  was 
floated  into  place  by  a  scow  and  dropped  to  the  bottom. 
It  was  then  dragged  out  by  oxen,  bringing  with  It  a  small 
quantity  of  sand  and  silt.  Judge  Samuel  Wilkeson  was 
the  leader  of  this  project,  and  "  his  good  works  in  creat- 
ing Buffalo  City  were  examples  of  energy,  ingenuity,  and 
persevering  sacrifice." 

The  second  steamboat  on  Lake  Erie,  the  Superior,  was 
built  on  Buffalo  Creek,  at  the  foot  of  Washington  Street, 
and  was  launched  on  April  i6,  1822.  She  was  of  differ- 
ent proportions  than  the  PV alk-iti-the-lF ater ,  and  although 
registering  about  the  same  tonnage,  was  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  feet  length  of  deck,  twenty-one  feet  breadth, 
and  ten  feet,  six  inches  depth  of  hull.  A  streak  through 
the  woods  was  cut  and  a  road  built  to  haul  the  boiler 
and  machinery  of  the  wrecked  vessel  to  the  new  hull,  and 
it  was  installed  in  about  the  same  position  as  originally 
placed  in  the  wrecked  hull.  When  completed  the  Su- 
perior steamed  out  of  the  narrow  creek,  and  with  some 
difliculty  reached  the  open  water  of  the  harbor. 

The  Superior  left  Black  Rock  on  her  first  trip  for  De- 
troit on  April  23,  1822,  but  for  some  reason  passed  by 
Buffalo  Creek,  as  the  precursor  of  steam  navigation  on 
the  Great  Lakes  had  done.  After  her  third  trip  on  or 
about  June  i  and  ever  after  the  Superior  made  Buffalo 
her  stopping  place.  From  this  time  Buffalo  began  to 
assume  a  superiority  over  Black  Rock,  in  a  commercial 
way,  and  the  further  deepening  of  the  channel  leading 
to  the  deep  water  of  the  lake,  to  accommodate  all  vessels 
of  the  period,  together  with  the  location  of  the  terminal  of 
the  then  building  Erie  Canal,  seemed  to  settle  the  contro- 
versy between  the  rival  villages,  and  Buffalo  began  to  be 


I02  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

a  place  of  importance.  Very  soon,  merchants  and  others 
who  had  expected  Black  Rock  to  become  the  metropolis 
of  the  western  lake  country  moved  to  Buffalo,  and  Black 
Rock  was  soon  only  a  dot  on  the  map. 

In  1824  a  sister  ship  of  the  Superior  was  built,  and 
named  Henry  Clay,  and  during  the  season  of  1825  the 
two  steamboats  maintained  a  four-day  service  between  the 
ports  of  Lake  Erie  and  Detroit.  The  Superior  continued 
in  service  for  some  years,  even  after  many  larger  and  finer 
steamboats  had  been  built  and  run  in  competition.  She 
was  finally  converted  into  a  sailing  vessel  in  1835,  and  the 
engine  and  machinery,  which  had  done  service  in  two  hulls, 
were  placed  in  a  new  vessel  named  the  Charles  Townsend. 
The  Superior  was  lost  in  a  gale  in  1843.  After  1825  the 
growth  and  development  of  steam  navigation  on  the 
Great  Lakes  was  very  rapid,  and  in  a  few  years  had  at- 
tained large  proportions. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

THE    EARLY     DAYS    OF    STEAM    NAVIGATION 

Thk  Opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  —  Its  Effect  on  the  Development  of 
Lake  Commerce  —  Rates  and  Traffic  of  the  Period  1825-35  — 
Steamboats  Built  —  Navigation  with  no  Guides  or  Warning  Signals 
—  The  Steamer  United  States  —  The  Michigan  —  Other  Steamboats. 

UPON  the  completion  of  the  Erie  Canal,  in  1825, 
the  traffic  of  the  Great  Lakes  began  to  revive  and 
soon  became  endowed  with  a  new  and  vigorous  growth. 
The  opening  of  the  water  highway,  affording  a  continu- 
ous navigation  from  the  Hudson  River  and  New  York 
clear  through  to  the  lakes  and  the  then  far  West,  had  a 
marked  effect  on  the  inland  commerce.  The  tide  of  im- 
migration which,  during  the  War  of  1812  and  for  some 
years  after,  had  followed  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  val- 
leys, now  turned  toward  the  Inland  Seas,  and  the  shipping 
thereon  floated  deep  upon  the  wave  of  prosperity.  Along 
the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario  the  commercial  activity  and 
the  increasing  population  soon  changed  the  struggling 
hamlets  into  permanent  settlements,  and  sailing  vessels 
multiplied.  The  lack  of  safe  harbors  and  the  means  of 
easy  communication  with  the  interior  of  the  bordering 
States  rendered  progress  less  rapid  on  Lake  Erie  and  the 
upper  lakes.  Above  Detroit,  until  well  into  the  thirties, 
the  commerce  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  fur  trade 
and  the  supplies  for  the  military  posts  and  the  few  mission 
settlements  in  the  north  country. 

The  Erie  Canal,  the  construction  of  which  had  long 
been  advocated  by  such  public  men  as  George  Washing- 
ton, Gouverneur  Morris,  Cadwallader  Colden,  Christo- 
pher Colles,   Philip   Schuyler,   George   Clinton,   Stephen 


I04  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

Van  Rensselaer,  Robert  Fulton,  and  others,  was  begun 
on  July  4,  1817.  The  profession  of  engineering  had 
not  then  been  established  in  America,  and  mechanical 
excavators  had  not  been  invented,  but  with  only  the 
wheelbarrow  and  shovel,  and  such  simple  and  primitive 
devices,  the  early  canal-builders  dug  practically  all  the 
original  waterway.  In  only  eight  years  it  was  completed, 
a  wonderful  achievement  for  those  times,  considering 
the  financial  difficulties  and  the  physical  problems  incident 
to  the  digging  of  a  canal  through  almost  unbroken  forests 
and  along  uncontrollable  rivers  for  nearly  four  hundred 
miles  into  the  heart  of  the  lake  region.  The  waters  of 
the  Inland  Seas  flowing  through  the  artificial  waterway, 
although  in  a  broader  and  deeper  channel,  to  the  ocean, 
still  constitute  a  monument  to  the  progressive  spirit  and 
perseverance  of  the  people  of  the  time. 

The  canal  as  originally  dug  was  forty  feet  wide  on 
the  surface,  twenty-eight  feet  on  the  bottom,  and  had  a 
depth  of  four  feet,  accommodating  boats  of  eighty  to  one 
hundred  tons'  burden.  Its  builders  adopted  the  European 
practice  of  the  time  and,  so  far  as  possible,  avoided  the 
rivers  and  lakes,  although  in  some  sections,  as  along  the 
Mohawk  River,  the  canal  followed  the  river  valleys  from 
ten  to  thirty  feet  above  the  streams.  This  plan  main- 
tained nearly  uniform  levels,  quite  independent  of  freshets 
difficult  of  control. 

The  ceremonies  of  opening  the  "  Grand  Erie,"  as  it  was 
then  called,  began  at  the  western  terminal  at  Buffalo  and 
ended  upon  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  off  Sandy  Hook. 
The  people  of  the  State  of  New  York  were  much 
enthused  over  the  successful  outcome  of  the  great  under- 
taking, and  the  whole  country  was  attracted  to  the  possi- 
bilities of  development  of  the  Western  settlements  and  of 
trade  through  its  use.  Even  to  this  day  they  have  not 
forgotten  "  that  they  have  built  the  longest  canal  in  the 
world,  in  the  least  time,  with  the  least  experience,  for  the 
least  money,  and  to  the  greatest  public  benefit." 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     105 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  October,  1825,  the  gayly  deco- 
rated flotilla  of  canal  boats,  laden  with  the  products  of  the 
West,  entered  the  canal  at  Buffalo,  for  the  first  journey 
from  the  Inland  Seas  to  the  Hudson.  They  had  on  board 
the  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  a  committee  from 
the  New  York  common  council,  and  the  committees  from 
Buffalo  and  other  villages.  There  were  also  two  kegs 
of  Lake  Erie  water,  a  bear,  two  eagles,  two  fawns,  sev- 
eral varieties  of  fresh-water  fish,  and  two  Indian  boys. 
The  embarkation  was  heralded  throughout  the  length  of 
the  waterway  by  the  firing  of  cannon  stationed  at  inter- 
vals, each  of  which  caught  up  the  roaring  message  in 
turn  and  passed  it  on  to  the  next.  In  one  hour  and  thirty 
minutes  the  salute  had  reached  New  York,  when  it  was 
turned  back  to  Buffalo,  and  passed  Lockport  by  the  guns 
with  which  Perry  had  won  his  naval  victory  on  Lake  Erie, 
twelve  years  before. 

The  journey  to  New  York  was  a  continuous  series  of 
ovations.  At  Lockport,  Rochester,  Syracuse,  and  other 
villages  along  the  route  the  main  streets  were  decorated 
for  the  occasion,  and  the  boats  were  greeted  with  the 
firing  of  guns  and  fireworks,  and  the  distinguished  pas- 
sengers were  entertained  at  banquets  and  balls.  At  Al- 
bany, an  entire  day  was  spent  in  the  celebration,  and 
the  next  morning  the  boats  were  taken  in  tow  by  steam- 
boats for  the  last  stretch  of  the  long  journey,  down  the 
historic  Hudson.  On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  of  No- 
vember, the  fleet  arrived  at  New  York,  and  was  joined 
by  many  decorated  vessels,  forming  a  naval  pageant.  Off 
Sandy  Hook  the  fleet  formed  a  circle,  and  Governor 
Clinton  performed  the  ceremony  of  commingling  the 
waters  of  the  Great  Lakes  with  the  ocean,  by  pouring  a 
keg  of  that  of  Lake  Erie  into  the  Atlantic. 

On  the  way  back  to  the  city,  this  toast  was  given, 
standing: 

"The  memory  of  Robert  Fulton,  whose  mighty  genius  has 
enabled  us  to  commemorate  this  day  in  a  style  of  unparalleled 
magnificence  and  grandeur." 


io6  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

The  festivities  at  New  York  continued  for  three  days, 
finally  concluding  with  a  grand  ball  on  the  night  of  the 
seventh  of  November.  Upon  returning  to  the  West  the 
visitors  carried  a  keg  of  water  from  the  ocean,  which, 
upon  arrival  at  Buffalo,  was  poured  into  Lake  Erie,  thus 
ending  the  formal  ceremonies.  In  commemoration  of  the 
completion  of  the  canal,  medals  of  white  metal,  and  of 
silver  and  gold,  were  struck  and  sent  to  all  prominent  and 
public  men  of  the  day.  Thomas  Jefferson,  upon  receiving 
the  medal,  replied: 

"  This  great  work  will  immortalize  the  present  authorities  of 
New  York,  will  bless  their  decendants  with  wealth  and  pros- 
perity, and  prove  to  mankind  the  superior  wisdom  of  employ- 
ing the  resources  of  industry  in  works  of  improvement." 

The  commerce  of  Lake  Erie  and  the  upper  lakes,  dur- 
ing the  decade  preceding  the  opening  of  the  canal,  was 
not  of  a  volume  to  tax  the  shipping  offered,  which  con- 
sisted of  about  forty  sailing  vessels  of  various  rig,  with 
an  average  of  sixty  tons  each,  and  the  two  steamboats. 
The  cargoes  of  the  schooners,  during  the  summer  months, 
were  made  up  largely  of  deck-loads  of  white  oak  staves 
and  heading  for  flour  barrels.  This  kind  of  shipment 
was  termed  "  Ohio  fur."  To  Buffalo  from  the  Western 
ports  the  cargoes  consisted  of  lumber  and  shingles,  corn, 
fish,  furs,  and  whiskey,  while  on  the  return  the  vessels 
carried  many  passengers,  household  goods,  provisions,  and 
articles  of  domestic  need.  Shipping  records  of  the  time 
show  that  the  schooner  Detroit,  Captain  Robinson, 
cleared  from  Cuyahoga  with  a  full  cargo,  consisting  of 
ninety-one  barrels  of  flour,  one  hundred  and  one  barrels 
of  whiskey,  sixty-three  barrels  of  pork,  fifty-one  barrels 
of  dried  fruit,  twenty-four  barrels  of  cider,  and  sixteen 
barrels  of  beef. 

The  lake  rates  were  very  favorable  to  the  shipping  in- 
terests, as  the  cost  of  moving  merchandise  over  the  rough 
post  roads  through  the  wilderness  was  excessive,  often 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     107 

amounting  to  one  hundred  dollars  a  ton  for  three  hundred 
miles'  haul.  In  1824  the  cost  had  not  been  reduced  be- 
low one  hundred  dollars  a  ton  from  Buffalo  to  New  York, 
and  twenty  days  were  required  in  transit.  The  cost  of 
hauling  a  barrel  of  salt  over  the  Niagara  portage  was 
seventy-five  cents,  and  ten  dollars  for  a  ton  of  goods.  As 
the  population  increased  and  settlers  cleared  the  land  and 
brought  it  under  cultivation,  agricultural  products  were 
added  to  the  eastbound  shipments,  but  were  always  sent 
by  the  water  route,  the  rates  by  wagon  being  prohibitive. 
Some  of  the  smaller  sailing  vessels,  about  1825,  made 
occasional  coasting  voyages  to  the  Michigan  settle- 
ments along  the  Huron  shore,  bringing  the  early  pio- 
neers and  their  household  effects.  Not  until  1837  was 
the  Territory  of  Michigan  admitted  to  Statehood  in  the 
Union. 

As  immigration  crept  slowly  and  steadily  westward, 
the  commerce  of  the  lake  country  grew  more  complex 
and  important;  and,  since  the  cost  of  travel  and  of  haul- 
ing merchandise  by  the  land  routes  was  so  much  greater 
than  by  water,  the  traffic  of  the  Great  Lakes  was  much 
stimulated.  The  spirit  of  progress  and  enterprise  had 
also  the  element  of  haste,  and  the  slow-going  sailing  ves- 
sels were  soon  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  the  eager 
pioneers  hurrying  to  the  Western  settlements.  The  de- 
mand for  more  steamboats,  whose  regular  schedules  when 
more  or  less  strictly  adhered  to  offered  some  hope  of 
reasonably  quick  passages,  resulted  in  a  number  being 
built  for  the  Lake  Erie  and  upper  lake  business.  At  the 
time  of  the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal  there  were  but  four 
steamboats  on  the  lakes;  but  in  that  year,  1825,  several 
more  were  added  to  the  fleet.  The  steamboat  Chippewa, 
of  one  hundred  tons'  burden,  was  put  in  service  along  the 
Erie  shores,  and  the  Pioneer,  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  tons,  was  built  by  Benjamin  Winslow,  at  Black  Rock. 
This  steamer,  which  was  ninety-eight  feet  in  length,  six- 
teen feet,  nine  inches  beam,  and  a  draft  of  eight  feet,  was 


io8  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

stranded  at  Grand  River  in  the  Fall  of  her  first  season. 
She  was  raised  and  repaired  and  ran  for  several  years  to 
the  upper  lakes,  finally  being  wrecked  near  Chicago,  in 
1834.  A  steamer  named  the  Martha  Ogden  was  built 
in  the  Fall  of  1824  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  for  service  on 
Lake  Ontario. 

In  1826  the  steamer  Niagara,  formerly  a  sailing  ves- 
sel named  the  Union,  was  in  service  on  the  lower  lake, 
but  soon  after  capsized  in  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  She 
was  recovered  with  much  difficulty  and  rebuilt  with  thirty 
feet  added  amidships.  Her  engine  was  very  powerful 
and  she  was  able  to  make  the  trip  from  York  (Toronto) 
to  Prescott  in  less  than  four  days.  The  elegance  of  her 
cabins  and  fittings  made  her  a  popular  boat  on  the  route. 
The  steamer  Queenstown,  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons, 
ran  between  Queenstown  and  Prescott,  by  way  of  York; 
and  the  Caroline,  of  seventy-five  tons,  ran  from  Prescott 
to  the  head  of  the  Bay  de  Quinte.  The  steamer  Toronto 
also  ran  on  Lake  Ontario  for  several  years,  but  never 
profitably,  according  to  old  records.  The  canal  boat 
Troy,  of  the  Merchant's  Line,  was  the  first  boat  with 
cargo  to  pass  through  the  Erie  Canal  from  the  ocean  to 
the  lakes. 

The  steamboat  Enterprise,  of  two  hundred  and  nine- 
teen tons,  and  the  fVilUam  Penn,  of  two  hundred  and  fif- 
teen tons,  were  built  at  Cleveland  and  Erie  and  added 
to  the  fleet  in  1826.  Three  years  later  the  IVilliam  Pea- 
cock was  built  by  Asa  Standart  for  the  Lake  Erie  service. 
She  was  one  hundred  and  two  feet  in  length,  nineteen  feet, 
six  inches  beam,  and  seven  feet,  six  inches  depth.  On 
September  16,  1829,  a  steam  pipe  burst  in  a  gale,  and 
fourteen  passengers  lost  their  lives.  She  had  a  short 
career,  being  wrecked  near  Erie  in  1832.  In  1830  the 
steamer  Sheldon  Thompson  appeared,  with  three  masts, 
the  first  of  that  rig  on  the  lakes. 

During  these  early  days  of  steam  navigation  on  the 
lakes,    modern    helps    for   the    mariner   were    unknown. 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     109 

A  few  scattered  lighthouses  with  their  whale-oil  bea- 
cons were  the  only  safeguards  provided  by  the  Govern- 
ment for  the  guidance  of  the  fresh-water  navigator. 
There  were  no  bobbing  buoys  of  bright  crimson,  whistling 
or  ringing  the  warning  of  dangerous  shoals,  no  lightships 
to  mark  treacherous  reefs,  nor  range-lights  to  guide 
through  artificial  channels.  There  were  no  life-saving 
stations  with  crews  to  rescue  the  shipwrecked,  no  weather 
reports  to  warn  the  captain  of  approaching  storms,  and 
no  marine  reports.  There  were  practically  no  guides  for 
the  mariners  through  the  whirling  eddies  and  swift  cur- 
rents of  the  connecting  rivers.  The  sturdy  navigator 
learned  the  lessons  of  caution  and  alertness,  and  acquired 
skill  in  piloting,  through  the  rough  and  dangerous  school 
of  experience,  which,  as  in  many  other  occupations,  often 
ended  in  "  the  survival  of  the  fittest."  It  was  from  the 
ranks  of  these  "  survivals  "  that  the  skilled  pilots  were 
chosen  to  guide  the  early  steamboats  and  the  larger  brigs 
and  schooners  through  the  unchartered  highways  of  the 
fresh  waters. 

These  sturdy  mariners,  with  their  blue  uniforms  and 
brass  buttons,  were  conspicuous  figures  as,  from  some 
point  of  vantage,  they  directed  the  navigation  of  their 
vessels.  They  were  looked  upon  as  heroes  and  almost 
idolized  by  the  travellers  bent  on  pleasure  or  business; 
and  those  fortunate  enough  to  secure  passage  on  the  most 
popular  steamboats  deemed  themselves  specially  favored. 
Of  these,  the  steamer  United  States,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Elias  Trowbridge,  was  most  favorably  known  from 
one  end  of  the  chain  of  lakes  to  the  other.  It  was  during 
the  Summer  of  1831  that  the  hull  of  the  steamer  was  built 
at  Ogdensburg,  and  in  November  was  ready  to  launch. 
Upon  the  waters  of  Lake  Ontario  an  American  vessel 
of  such  dimensions  had  nev^er  plied.  She  was  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-two  feet  in  length,  twenty-six  feet  beam, 
and  fifty-five  feet  wide  over  the  guards,  with  ten-foot 
depth    of  hull.      The  proportions  afforded  large   cargo 


no  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

space,  while  her  cabins  were  roomy  and  comfortable; 
and,  when  well  laden  with  heavy  merchandise  as  was 
usually  the  case,  she  was  steady  in  a  seaway.  Her  en- 
gines were  of  the  low-pressure  type  then  in  universal 
use,  with  cyclinders  forty  inches  in  diameter  and  eight  feet 
stroke.  The  total  cost  exceeded  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
Her  first  trip  was  made  July  i,  1832,  and  she  was  known 
for  many  years  as  the  largest  steamer  run  by  an  Ameri- 
can on  Lake  Ontario.  The  traffic  along  the  lakes  was 
then  assuming  considerable  volume,  and  the  larger  steam- 
boats proved  very  profitable,  while  evei*y  year  bigger  and 
faster  vessels  were  added  to  the  merchant  marine  to  com- 
pete with  the  older  ones.  The  fur  trade  of  the  upper 
lakes  country  had  reached  enormous  proportions  at  this 
time,  and  in  1833-34,  the  aggregate  business  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  amounted  in  skins  to  93,168 
beaver,  694,092  muskrat,  1,069  badger,  7,451  bear,  491 
ermine,  9,937  fox,  14,255  lynx,  64,490  sable,  25,100  pole- 
cat, 22,303  otter,  713  raccoon,  8,484  wolf,  and  1,571 
wolverine. 

The  first  steamboat  built  at  Detroit  was  the  Argo,  but 
not  long  after  a  fine  specimen  of  the  shipbuilder's  art 
appeared  to  wrest  the  palm  of  popular  favor  from  some 
of  the  others.  This  steamer  was  the  Mich'tgau,  which 
was  not  only  the  largest  vessel  yet  built  on  the  lakes, 
but  was  far  in  advance  of  most  steamers  of  the  time. 
She  was  built  and  owned  by  Oliver  Newberry,  who  for 
many  years  was  identified  with  the  shipping  and  was 
largely  engaged  in  the  commerce  of  the  lakes.  The 
Michigan  was  launched  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  April, 
1833,  and  was  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  in  length, 
twenty-nine  feet  beam,  with  an  extreme  width  over  the 
guards  of  fifty-three  feet,  and  was  of  eleven  feet  depth  of 
hull.  Although  her  model  by  no  means  approached  the 
lines  of  comeliness,  her  speed  was  quite  equal  to  others  of 
those  days,  and  she  was  equipped  with  powerful  low- 
pressure  engines,  placed  exactly  amidships  on  cither  side. 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     in 

On  her  first  trip,  October  ii,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Blake,  a  veteran  of  the  lakes,  the  Michigan 
attracted  much  attention,  and  as  she  steamed  down  the 
Detroit  River,  and  at  every  port  at  which  she  called, 
she  was  hailed  as  a  remarkable  craft  —  a  leviathan  of  the 
Inland  Seas.  Because  of  her  fine  finish,  splendid  fixtures, 
and  luxurious  furnishings,  which  were  superior  to  those  of 
any  other  of  the  lakes  fleet,  and  also  because  of  her  stanch 
hull,  she  became  a  favorite  with  the  travelling  public. 
The  cabins  were  unusually  large  and  airy,  the  gentlemen's 
cabin  containing  thirty  berths  abaft  the  engines,  and  six 
berths  forward  of  the  machinery.  The  wide  space  be- 
tween the  engines  formed  the  main  cabin  or  dining- 
saloon,  and  was  richly  panelled  and  carved,  and  deco- 
rated in  gold  and  white  enamel.  The  ladies'  cabin  was 
on  the  after  deck  and  was  elegantly  furnished  and  con- 
tained sixteen  berths,  and  the  forward  cabin  contained 
forty-four  berths;  so  the  interesting  descriptions  in  old 
yellow  and  time-stained  records  reveal. 

But  these  innovations  were  not  all  the  unique  features 
of  the  Michigan.  The  motive  power  was  an  entire  de- 
parture from  the  engineering  practice  of  the  time,  and  evi- 
dently the  installation  of  two  separate  and  distinct 
engines  to  drive  the  side  paddle-wheels,  was  looked  upon 
as  a  doubtful  expedient,  for  the  experiment  was  not  again 
tried  in  any  of  the  later  steamboats.  The  engines  were 
of  the  low-pressure  walking-beam  type  of  eighty  horse- 
power each,  and  each  was  connected  independently  to  its 
own  shaft  and  paddle-wheel.  The  cylinders  were  forty 
inches  in  diameter,  and  seven  feet,  three  inches  stroke  of 
piston;  and  the  arrangement  of  the  machinery  afforded 
much  cabin  space  and  unusual  cargo  hold. 

This  divisional  disposition  of  the  machinery  operated 
very  well  in  calm  weather  and  in  smooth  water  when  the 
steamer  was  running  on  an  even  keel.  But  in  stormy 
weather,  when  in  a  rough  sea  the  waves  ran  high,  the 
rolling  of  the  vessel  plunged  one  paddle-wheel  deep  in 


112  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

the  water  while  the  other  was  lifted  wholly  or  partly 
out  of  it.  Ordinarily,  with  both  paddle-wheels  hung  on 
the  same  shaft,  the  rolling  and  pitching  motion  of  the  ves- 
sel had  little  effect  on  the  engine.  In  the  Michigan,  how- 
ever, while  the  wheel  submerged  and  its  separate  engine 
labored  with  difficulty  to  keep  in  motion,  the  other,  high 
in  the  air,  was  spinning  around  swiftly.  When  the  latter 
wheel  again  plunged  beneath  the  choppy  waves,  a  great 
shiver  ran  through  the  vessel  from  stem  to  stern,  and  the 
jerking  motion  from  side  to  side  rendered  navigation  of 
the  steamer  both  difficult  and  unpleasant. 

Sometimes  during  the  summer  months,  when  severe 
storms  and  gales  were  unknown,  the  Michigan  ran  one 
or  more  pleasure  excursions  to  more  or  less  remote  points 
on  the  lakes.  One  excursion  was  generally  made  along 
the  Erie  shores,  to  the  historic  Put-in-Bay,  Sandusky, 
Cleveland,  Erie,  and  on  to  Buffalo.  Returning,  the  north- 
ern shore  was  followed,  stopping  at  Grand  River,  Long 
Point,  Point  Pelee,  and  Amherstburg.  The  trip  to  the 
north  country  included  calls  at  the  forest  settlements  of 
Saginaw  Bay  and  River  and  along  the  Huron  shore  to  the 
far-famed  Mackinac.  Thence  the  popular  route  lay  down 
the  Michigan  shore,  stopping  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream 
where  Father  Marquette,  overcome  by  a  wearisome  jour- 
ney, breathed  his  last.  Skirting  the  southern  shore  of  the 
lake,  the  St.  Joseph  River,  early  explored  by  La  Salle, 
who  established  a  mission  post,  was  visited,  and  then  the 
settlement  of  Chicago.  Continuing  northward  the  natural 
harbor  of  refuge,  upon  whose  shore  lay  the  hamlet  of 
Milwaukee,  was  an  interesting  point;  and  Green  Bay, 
far  to  the  north,  offered  a  stopping  place  of  historic 
moment.  Standing  on  the  shore  of  Washington  Island 
and  looking  out  over  the  expanse  of  fresh  water,  the 
travellers  could  easily  Imagine  themselves  in  the  place  of 
the  French  explorer,  as  he  saw  the  Griffin  sail  away  to 
an  unknown  fate. 

At  the  close  of  the  navigation  season  of  1833,  there 


EARLY  DAYS  OF  STEAM  NAVIGATION     113 

were  eleven  steamboats  on  the  lakes,  costing  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  thousand  dollars.  During  the  summer 
they  carried  sixty-one  thousand,  four  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  passengers,  and  of  these  about  forty-three  thousand 
were  taken  from  Buffalo  westward.  There  were  two 
trips  clear  through  to  Chicago,  and  one  to  Green  Bay. 
The  time  seems  slow  to  navigators  of  to-day,  for  one 
steamer  left  Buffalo  on  June  23,  at  nine  in  the  evening, 
and  returning  from  Chicago  did  not  arrive  at  the  eastern 
terminal  until  July  18,  at  ten  at  night.  The  other  trip 
was  made  In  slightly  quicker  time  —  in  twenty-two  days. 
In  1834  the  steamers  Commodore  Perry  and  Joseph 
Jefferson  were  built  for  the  Lake  Erie  service,  and  soon 
after  the  JF.  F.  P.  Taylor,  the  Daniel  Webster,  the  Gen- 
eral Porter,  the  Washington,  the  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
Milwaukee,  were  added  to  the  lakes  fleet.  The  following 
year  the  shipyards  were  busy,  and  by  1836  the  steamers 
North  America,  the  Charles  Townsend,  the  Oliver  New- 
berry, the  Washington  No.  2,  the  Barcelona,  and  the 
Wisconsin  appeared  to  claim  their  share  of  the  ever  in- 
creasing maritime  commerce.  That  they  secured  it,  too,  is 
evident  from  the  fact  that  the  shipbuilding  did  not  stop 
there,  for  within  the  next  five  years  the  shipping  Increased 
remarkably  both  in  the  number  and  size  of  the  new  vessels. 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE   RAPID   GROWTH    OF   THE    LAKES   SHIPPING 

Speculative  Fever  and  Immigration  —  Steamer  Illinois  —  Rates  — 
Steamer  Great  Western,  First  Built  with  Upper  Deck  and  Cabin  — The 
Chesapeake  —  Earnings  in  1841 — Types  of  Marine  Engines  —  Cost 
OF  Operating  Steamers  —  New  Steamers  by  1842  —  Depression  of 
Commerce  —  Cut  in  Rates  —  Keen  Competition  —  Steamboat  Com- 
binations —  Races  —  Steamer  Empire,  First  of  More  than  One  Thou- 
sand Tonnage  —  Cargoes  of  Sailing  Vessels  about  1845. 

THE  development  of  the  shipping  on  the  Inland  Seas 
during  the  first  twenty-year  period  of  steam  navi- 
gation just  about  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  commerce 
of  the  lake  country.  Although  freight  rates  were  high, 
the  risks  were  proportionately  great,  and  capital  in  any 
considerable  amount  was  not  easily  enlisted  in  the  hazard- 
ous project  of  shipbuilding.  But  in  1835  a  spirit  of  land 
speculation  swept  the  Eastern  States,  drawing  many  people 
of  comfortable  means  to  the  new  and  unsettled  country 
along  the  lakes,  and  to  the  wilderness  beyond.  These 
settlers  naturally  followed  the  waterways  as  the  easiest 
mode  of  travel.  They  swarmed  in  the  canal  boats  along 
the  Erie,  and  almost  swamped  the  small  and  slow-going 
sailing  vessels  westbound  from  Buffalo.  The  steamboats 
were  heavily  laden  with  the  families  and  household  effects 
of  the  hurrying  pioneers.  They  were  land  hungry  and 
eager  for  new  territory  to  conquer,  new  adventures,  and 
the  almighty  dollar. 

Commerce  along  the  chain  of  lower  lakes  increased 
rapidly,  speculation  in  all  commodities  was  rife,  bank 
currency  was  plenty,  and  everybody  was  getting  rich.  In 
1836  the  lake  traffic  of  passengers,  provisions,  and  gen- 


RAPID  GROWTH  OF  LAKES  SHIPPING    115 

eral  merchandise  far  exceeded  the  shipping  offered,  and 
resulted  in  a  great  wave  of  shipbuilding.  In  that  year 
there  were  forty-five  steamboats  on  the  great  American 
lakes,  with  an  aggregate  of  nine  thousand,  one  hundred 
and  nineteen  tons,  and  two  hundred  and  seventeen  brigs 
and  schooners,  with  an  aggregate  of  sixteen  thousand, 
six  hundred  and  forty-five  tons.  The  first  steamboat 
to  arrive  at  Detroit  in  1836  was  the  United  States  from 
Buffalo  with  seven  hundred  passengers.  She  entered  port 
on  May  23,  thus  opening  navigation  for  the  season. 
Nearly  a  hundred  arrivals  were  recorded  for  that 
year,  and  it  was  a  common  report  of  the  time  that  vessel 
owners  earned  from  seventy  to  eighty  per  cent  of  the  cost 
of  their  vessels. 

The  steamer  James  Madison,  launched  at  Erie  and 
placed  in  commission  in  the  Spring  of  1837,  was  of  six 
hundred  and  thirty  tons'  burden,  registering  the  largest 
cargo  capacity  and  accommodation  for  passengers  of  any 
vessel  yet  constructed  on  the  lakes.  She  plied  to  the 
upper  lake  settlements,  and  was  a  very  popular  steam- 
boat, being  commanded  by  Captain  R.  R.  Bristol,  and 
afterward  for  many  years  by  Captain  McFadden.  The 
Cleveland,  built  at  Huron,  Ohio,  came  out  in  the  same 
year,  with  Captain  Asa  E.  Hart  as  commanding  officer. 
She  had  a  low-pressure  engine  of  the  prevailing  beam 
type,  and  her  boilers  were  placed  on  the  guards  with 
two  smokestacks  wide  apart.  This  arrangement  evidently 
w^s  deemed  unsafe,  for  after  the  steamboat  had  encoun- 
tered several  storms,  the  boilers  were  installed  in  the  hull 
below  decks,  with  the  smokestacks  rising  from  the  central 
portion  of  the  waist  section. 

The  steamer  Nile  was  also  put  in  service  In  1837,  ^^'^ 
was  propelled  by  a  low-pressure  beam  engine  which  had 
been  In  the  Milwaukee.  The  Buffalo,  New  England,  Con- 
stellation, Bunker  Hill,  Dewitt  Clinton,  Robert  Fulton, 
General  JVayne,  Sandusky,  and  Rochester  were  additions 
to  the  lake  fleet  at  about  that  time.     The  Caroline  and 


ii6  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

the  General  Macey  came  from  the  Hudson  River  through 
the  Erie  Canal,  augmenting  the  rapidly  growing  fleet  of 
steamboats  on  the  inland  waterways. 

During  the  Winter  of  1837-38  the  steamer  Illinois  was 
built  at  Detroit  by  Oliver  Newberry  for  the  Chicago 
trade,  and  under  the  command  of  Captain  Blake  proved 
very  profitable.  She  was  two  hundred  and  five  feet  in 
length,  twenty-nine  feet  beam,  and  thirteen  feet  depth  of 
hold,  and  at  the  time  was  considered  a  leviathan  of  the 
lakes.  The  engine  was  of  the  low-pressure  type,  with 
cylinder  fifty-six  inches  In  diameter  and  ten  feet  stroke, 
capable  of  driving  the  vessel  at  a  speed  which  took  her 
from  Buffalo  to  Chicago  in  five  days,  and  the  return  trip 
In  four  days.  This  was  a  top-notch  performance  for  lake 
steamers  of  the  period.  On  account  of  her  symmetry 
of  outline,  beauty  of  model,  style  of  finish,  and  speed  and 
seaworthiness,  the  Illinois  was  liberally  patronized.  In 
those  days  before  the  invention  of  the  steam  whistle,  big 
alarm  bells  served  the  same  purpose  in  a  measure,  and 
were  generally  placed  high  above  the  beam  of  the  engine. 
In  such  a  commanding  position  they  sounded  warnings 
of  danger  in  fogs,  as  well  as  giving  the  code  of  signals 
used  in  navigation. 

Although  the  reaction  from  the  speculative  fever  set  In 
at  about  this  time,  during  which  specie  payments  by  the 
banks  were  suspended  for  a  while,  and  the  great  volume  of 
lake  traffic  was  declining,  shipbuilding  went  on  apace.  The 
freights  stimulated  such  enterprises,  and  the  largest  steam- 
boats earned  large  profits.  The  rate  from  Buffalo  to 
Detroit  for  heavy  goods  was  thirty-eight  cents  per  one 
hundred  pounds,  and  fifty  cents  for  light  merchandise. 
The  down-lake  rate  on  flour  from  Detroit  to  Buffalo  was 
twenty-five  cents  to  which  was  added  a  charge  of  five  cents 
a  barrel  for  elevator  and  warehouse  dues  at  the  eastern 
terminus.  Grain  took  an  eight-cent  rate  with  an  elevator 
charge  of  two  cents  a  bushel.  Beef,  pork,  whiskey,  and 
some  other  commodities  went  at  ten  cents  per  one  hundred 


RAPID  GROWTH  OF  LAKES  SHIPPING     117 

pounds,  with  an  additional  three  cents  charge  at  Buffalo. 
Skins  and  furs  were  the  same  as  flour,  but  six  cents  per 
one  hundred  pounds  was  taxed  at  the  foot  of  the  lakes. 
All  westbound  goods  for  the  upper  lake  ports  to  go 
through  before  the  close  of  the  navigation  season  had  to 
arrive  at  Buffalo  by  September  15,  and  for  the  ports 
of  Lake  Erie  by  October  15.  The  passenger  rate  for 
cabin  passage  from  Buffalo  to  Cleveland  was  six  dollars; 
from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  eight  dollars;  to  Mackinac  or 
through  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie  twelve  dollars;  and  to  Chi- 
cago, Green  Bay,  or  St.  Joseph  twenty  dollars. 

Immigration  into  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  however,  had 
continued  unabated,  and  in  1839  a  regular  line  of  eight 
steamers,  varying  in  size  from  three  hundred  and  fifty 
to  six  hundred  and  fifty  tons'  capacity,  was  formed  to  run 
between  Buffalo  and  Chicago,  making  a  round  trip  in  six- 
teen days.  This  frequent  and  reliable  service  in  turn  stim- 
ulated the  shipment  of  all  kinds  of  merchandise  by  the 
through  route  instead  of  by  the  several  shorter  lines  and 
the  consequent  reshipment  with  more  or  less  delay,  at 
Detroit.  It  resulted  also  in  a  revolution  in  construction 
of  steam  marine,  whereby  an  upper  cabin  was  added,  and 
the  lower  or  main  deck  cabin  given  over  to  the  steerage 
and  freight  hold,  thus  greatly  increasing  the  cargo 
capacity.  The  steamer  Gi-eat  JVestern,  built  at  Huron,  in 
the  Winter  of  1838-39,  was  the  first  to  appear  with  an 
upper  deck  cabin,  and  it  was  such  an  innovation  in  marine 
architecture  that  many  of  the  fresh-water  salts  expressed 
grave  doubts  as  to  the  practicability  and  seaworthiness 
of  the  vessel.  They  said  she  was  top-heavy  and  unsafe 
in  a  heavy  gale,  and  that  the  rolling  motion  would  be  so 
unpleasant  as  to  render  her  unpopular  with  the  travelling 
public. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  exactly  the  opposite  conditions  ob- 
tained, and  the  Great  Western,  which  was  one  hundred 
and  eighty-three  feet  in  length  over  all,  thirty-four  feet, 
four  inches  beam,  and  thirteen  feet  depth  of  hold,  was 


ii8  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

the  most  popular  steamer  on  the  through  route  before 
the  navigation  season  was  ended.  Although  of  less 
length  of  hull  she  was  five  feet  greater  of  beam  than  the 
Illinois,  and  the  tonnage,  seven  hundred  and  eighty-one, 
was  the  greatest  of  any  craft  then  afloat  on  fresh 
water.  The  high-pressure  engine  was  made  in  Pittsburg 
and  hauled  in  sections  overland  to  the  lake.  The  cylinder 
was  thirty  inches  in  diameter  with  the  usual  stroke  of  ten 
feet,  developing  about  three  hundred  horse-power.  The 
paddle-wheels  were  twenty-seven  feet  in  diameter  and 
twelve  feet  wide.  From  one  end  to  the  other  the  hold  was 
taken  up  with  the  boilers  and  engine  and  compartments 
for  the  wood  fuel,  and  cargo  space.  On  the  main  deck 
aft  was  the  ladies'  cabin  with  the  dining-saloon  adjoining, 
while  the  men's  cabin,  smoking-room,  and  bar  were  for- 
ward. There  were  sixty  staterooms  arranged  on  either 
side  fitted  with  three  berths  each,  or  three  hundred  and 
sixty  berths  in  all.  Probably  no  three  steamers  contrib- 
uted so  largely  to  the  settlement  of  Illinois  and  Wiscon- 
sin as  the  James  Madison,  the  Illinois,  and  the  Great 
JVestern. 

When  it  was  determined  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt 
from  the  performance  of  the  Great  Western  during  her 
first  season,  that  the  upper  deck  and  cabin  added  steadi- 
ness in  a  seaway  and  greater  safety,  the  owners  of  other 
steamers  hastened  to  reconstruct  the  upper  works  of  their 
craft,  and  add  the  upper  cabin  deck  with  a  long  salon 
offering  a  rich  opportunity  to  the  decorative  artists  of  the 
time.  Besides  the  large  steamers  before  mentioned,  those 
so  equipped  were :  The  Niagara,  Empire  State,  Saint 
Louis,  Louisiana,  Indiana,  City  of  Buffalo,  JVisconsin, 
General  Harrison,  Missouri,  and  Columbus.  The 
steamer  Erie,  built  at  Erie  in  1838-39  for  the  Chicago 
line,  was  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet  in  length, 
twenty-seven  feet  beam,  and  ten  feet  depth  of  hold.  She 
had  a  beam  engine  with  cylinder  fifty-two  inches  in  diam- 
eter and  ten  feet  stroke,  which  gave  the  vessel  a  speed 
of  twelve  miles  an  hour. 


RAPID  GROWTH  OF  LAKES  SHIPPING     119 

The  Chesapeake  was  another  very  popular  steamer  on 
the  Buffalo-Chicago  route.  She  came  out  in  1840  and 
Captain  Howe  and  her  other  officers  probably  catered  to 
Southern  patronage,  for  in  1842  her  cabins  were  filled 
on  each  eastbound  trip  with  citizens  of  New  Orleans  and 
Mississippi  River  towns  bound  for  New  York,  by  way 
of  Chicago,  the  lakes,  and  the  Erie  Canal.  It  is  related 
that  night  after  night  games  of  brag  were  the  popular 
diversion,  in  which  gold  coins  stood  high  in  columns  on 
the  saloon  tables.  Wines  and  liquors  flowed  freely,  and 
the  suppers  of  prairie  chicken  were  long  remembered 
as  one  of  the  leading  features  of  the  service.  The  Chesa- 
peake was  distinguished  from  others  of  the  "  upper 
lakers,"  as  the  Buffalo-Chicago  liners  were  called,  by  be- 
ing the  first  steamer  to  have  a  single  smokestack,  all  others 
up  to  that  time  having  two  stacks,  one  on  each  side. 
She  met,  however,  a  disastrous  end  for  she  was  sunk  in 
collision  with  a  schooner  off  Conneaut,  Ohio,  on  June  7, 

1847- 

In  1 841  six  of  the  largest  steamers  running  on  the 
through  route  and  one  to  Green  Bay  for  part  of  the  season, 
earned  three  hundred  and  one  thousand,  eight  hundred  and 
three  dollars.  This  was  largely  on  agricultural  products, 
three-quarters  of  which  was  on  business  originating  at 
or  west  of  Detroit.  The  steamer  Missouri,  of  the  famous 
Reed  Line,  which  included  the  Niagara,  Louisiana,  Queen 
City,  and  the  Keystone  State,  was  a  characteristic  type 
after  the  style  of  the  Hudson  River  steamboats,  having 
the  smokestacks  set  wide  apart,  one  on  each  guard  near 
the  paddle-wheel  boxes. 

While  the  shipbuilders  were  striving  to  outdo  them- 
selves in  turning  out  faster  and  more  comfortable  and  even 
luxurious  steamers,  there  was  much  experimenting  in  the 
engine  department  to  produce  the  best  type  of  propelling 
machinery.  Some  engineers  regarded  the  rather  cumber- 
some walking  beam  engine  as  the  most  efficient,  and  if 
all   the   truth   be    told,    their   liking    for   this   type   was 


I20  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

heightened  perhaps  by  the  lofty  beam  projecting  above 
the  upper  cabin,  for  attached  to  this  was  often  a  galloping 
steed.  The  alternate  rising  and  plunging  forward  of  this 
figure  was  evidently  intended  to  indicate  to  curious  lands- 
men the  speed  of  the  vessel  through  the  immense  power 
of  its  mechanism.  Others  leaned  to  the  "  square-engine  " 
which  also  projected  in  part  above  the  cabin,  but  in  place 
of  the  tumbling  beam  a  vertical  moving  cross-head  with 
swinging  connecting  rods  on  each  side  attached  to  cranks 
on  the  paddle-wheel  shaft,  served  the  same  purpose,  and 
revolved  the  big  wheels.  In  motion  the  connecting  rods 
were  not  unlike  the  crutches  of  a  lame  man,  and  seemingly 
designed  for  the  same  means  of  moving  ahead.  Still  others 
favored  the  horizontal  engine  which,  although  it  took  con- 
siderable space  on  the  lower  deck,  left  the  cabin  above 
a  long  unbroken  salon,  adding  to  the  comfort  of  the  pas- 
sengers and  giving  greater  opportunity  for  the  decorative 
effects.  Some  of  the  old  lake  travellers  will  recall  the 
numerous  panels  of  the  stateroom  sections,  embellished 
with  gayly  painted  marine  scenes,  ducal  palaces  of  Rhine 
princes,  or  the  rustic  ruins  of  a  woodsman's  camp  in  the 
West. 

The  cost  of  operating  a  large  steamer  of  this  period 
(1840)  when  running  on  a  regular  schedule  between 
ports  at  either  end  of  the  great  chain  of  lakes,  was  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  day.  This  amount  included 
the  wages  of  the  officers  and  crew,  the  cost  of  wood,  pro- 
visions, and  ordinary  contingencies.  The  fuel  consumed 
by  a  steamer  on  a  round  trip  through  the  length  of  the 
lakes  was  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  cords.  It 
may  be  stated  that  a  possible  one  hundred  and  fifty 
cords  was  a  fair  average,  and  the  ruling  price  was  about 
two  dollars  a  cord.  On  this  basis  the  twenty-four 
steamers  on  regular  routes,  using  at  least  five  thousand 
cords  each  during  a  navigation  season,  consumed  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  cords  of  wood,  valued  at 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.    The  crew 


RAPID  GROWTH  OF  LAKES  SHIPPING    121 

of   a   large    steamer   numbered    from   twenty    to    thirty, 
and  of  a  smaller  one  from  eight  to  fifteen. 

At  the  close  of  the  navigation  season  of  1842,  the  fleet 
of  lake  steamers  had  been  augmented  by  the  following: 

Waterloo  Lexington        Ben  Franklin  Little  Erie 

Red  Jacket  Cincinnati       New  York  Constitution 

Chautauqua        Arrow  Boston  Albany 

Detroit  Troy  Globe  Ohio 

Swan  Southerner       Superior  No.  2  Vermilion 

James  Monroe   General  Scott  Julius  D.  Morton  Baltimore 

Baltic  Fairport  Champion  G.  P.  Griffith 

Star  New  Orleans   Sultana  Saratoga 

Tecumseh 


The  great  expansion  in  shipbuilding,  which  had  done 
much  for  the  industries  of  the  lake  country,  finally  was 
checked;  and  the  freights  which  had  made  fortunes  for 
many  vessel  owners  were  cut  to  unheard-of  figures.  This 
was  due  to  the  number  of  vessels  constructed  being  of 
a  far  greater  tonnage  collectively  than  the  increase  of 
the  business  offered  and  the  passenger  traffic  warran- 
ted. Sharp  competition  had  set  in  and  the  passenger 
rate  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  was  cut  as  low  as  four  dol- 
lars with  extras  included.  Although  an  association  was 
formed  of  the  larger  vessel  interests,  the  purpose  of  which 
was  to  regulate  the  number  of  vessels  to  remain  in  commis- 
sion according  to  the  needs  of  business  between  Buffalo, 
Detroit,  and  Chicago,  and  to  retire  from  service  all  those 
not  absolutely  needed,  and  to  fix  rates  accordingly,  noth- 
ing of  lasting  benefit  resulted,  and  the  combination  was 
short-lived.  After  this  failure  to  regulate  the  commerce 
of  the  Great  Lakes,  conditions  became  worse  than  ever. 
Competing  lines  ran  steamers  alongside  of  their  rivals' 
vessels,  and  at  every  port  cut  and  slashed  the  prices  right 
and  left,  in  order  to  secure  what  business  was  offered. 
These  practices  reached  such  a  pass  that  no  profit  could 
possibly  be  made  by  any  one,  and  vessel  owners  were  in 


122  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

a  fair  way  of  losing  a  part  of  their  earnings  accumulated 
in  former  times  of  prosperity. 

Most  travellers  were  very  willing  to  take  advantage  of 
the  existing  conditions,  and  the  extremes  to  which  the  lake 
captains  often  went  is  illustrated  by  an  incident  told  of 
Captain  David  Wilkeson,  of  the  steamer  Commodore 
Perry  : 

"A  traveller  approached  him  on  the  dock  at  Buffalo  one  day 
and  asked  what  he  would  take  him  as  a  cabin  passenger  to 
Detroit  for.  The  captain  named  an  amount  which  was  con- 
siderably less  than  one-half  the  regular  rate,  at  the  same  time 
inviting  him  to  step  aboard  to  inspect  the  steamer  and  take  a 
drink  at  the  bar.  The  traveller  could  not  be  induced  to  take 
passage  then,  but  a  little  while  after  this  the  captain  met  him 
again,  and  was  told  that  a  rival  steamer  would  carry  him  to 
his  destination  for  nothing. 

"'Oh,  well,  if  that 's  the  case  I  '11  carry  you  for  nothing  and 
board  you.    You  will  go  with  me,  won't  you.'" 

'"Well,  I  don't  know,'  was  the  answer,  'I  think  his  wine  is 
a  little  preferable  to  yours.'" 

In  1843  there  was  another  steamboat  combination  by 
which  two  lines  operating  between  Buffalo  and  Detroit 
calling  at  way  ports  maintained  a  daily  schedule,  but 
on  the  through  route  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago,  the  ar- 
rivals and  departures  at  a  given  port  were  on  alternate 
days.  The  rate  of  cabin  passage  between  Buffalo  and 
Toledo  was  fixed  at  six  dollars;  to  Detroit  seven  dollars; 
and  to  Chicago  fifteen  dollars.  The  strong  opposition, 
however,  of  the  independent  steamers  soon  resulted  in 
a  general  slashing  of  rates  and  for  a  time  the  fare  from 
Buffalo  to  Chicago  was  only  five  dollars.  As  late  as  1845 
the  steamer  Julia  Palmer,  commanded  by  Captain  T.  J. 
Titus,  plied  on  Lake  Erie  in  active  competition  with  the 
Constitution,  while  the  James  Monroe,  in  turn,  was  de- 
tailed to  run  alongside  the  Palmer  from  port  to  port, 
carrying  passengers  and  merchandise  for  almost  nothing. 

The  keen  competition  of  the  lake  steamers  often 
reached  a  most  exciting  phase  in  the  tests  of  speed  which 


RAPID  GROWTH  OF  LAKES  SHIPPING    123 

naturally  developed.  For  what  captain  would  let  a  rival 
pass  him  if  it  were  possible,  by  putting  on  more  steam 
and  pushing  the  engine  to  its  utmost,  to  keep  in  the  lead? 
On  the  other  hand  to  pass  the  rival  meant  much  for  the 
faster  steamer.  She  arrived  in  port  in  advance  of  the  other 
and  was  in  a  position  to  pick  up  the  best  of  the  business 
offered,  sometimes  before  the  rival  could  get  in  to  her 
dock.  It  also  meant  prestige  in  speed,  and  even  in 
those  days  this  was  as  much  a  factor  in  the  successful  op- 
eration of  a  steamer  as  it  is  to-day.  The  marine  spectacle 
of  the  racing  steamboats,  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago,  must 
have  been  a  vivid  one.  With  burgees  and  pennants,  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  and  gay  bunting  flowing  freely  in  the 
stiff  breeze,  they  ploughed  their  way,  recklessly  it  seemed, 
almost  bow  to  bow  through  the  open  stretches  of  the 
lakes.  The  passengers  lining  the  rails  excitedly  cheer- 
ing and  waving  to  those  on  the  racer;  the  stacks  belching 
dense  clouds  of  smoke  and  red-hot  cinders;  the  puffing 
and  heavy  laboring  of  the  engines;  the  quick,  sharp  com- 
mands of  the  officers  were  sufficient  to  thrill  even  the 
frequent  traveller  accustomed  to  such  scenes.  Below  decks 
the  firemen  piled  in  the  wood  and  kept  it  stirred  until  the 
iron  doors  of  the  furnaces  became  red  hot,  and  they 
were  almost  driven  from  their  posts;  the  engineer  watched 
the  throbbing  machinery  with  oil  can  in  hand,  eager  to 
catch  the  first  indication  of  hot  journals  or  overheated 
parts,  one  eye  on  the  steam  gauge  and  engine  levers.  And 
withal  the  stanch  hull  creaked  and  groaned  under  the 
unusual  and  undue  strain. 

In  1845  the  conditions  surrounding  the  lake  shipping 
had  so  improved  that  there  were  three  lines  extending 
daily  service  between  Buffalo  and  Chicago,  including  way 
ports,  and  during  the  season  carried  ninety-three  thou- 
sand, three  hundred  and  sixty-seven  through  passengers, 
and  five  thousand,  three  hundred  and  sixty-nine  between 
way  ports.  In  all  fully  two  hundred  thousand  persons 
crossed  the  lakes  during  the  year,  and  at  least  fifty  thou- 


124  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

sand  more  travelled  on  Lake  Ontario  and  the  Welland 
Canal.  At  this  time  there  was  an  entire  lack  of  harbors 
along  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  the  entire 
business  was  distributed  at  Milwaukee,  Racine,  Southport, 
and  Chicago,  the  regular  ports.  Michigan  City,  Ind., 
and  St,  Joseph,  Mich.,  on  the  south  shore  of  the  lake, 
were  the  stopping  places  of  only  two  or  three  steamers. 

Shipbuilding  had  not  been  entirely  suspended,  for  early 
in  1844  the  keel  of  a  mammoth  steamer  was  laid  in  Jones' 
shipyard  in  Cleveland.  It  was  named  the  Empire,  and 
was  the  first  steamer  in  the  United  States  to  measure 
more  than  one  thousand  tons.  Its  dimensions  were  two 
hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  length  over  all,  thirty-six  feet 
beam,  sixty-two  feet  over  the  guards,  and  fifteen  feet 
depth.  The  engine  was  of  five  hundred  horse-power,  and 
the  paddle-wheels  were  thirty  feet  in  diameter  and  twelve 
feet  wide.  The  dining-cabin  on  the  upper  deck  was  two 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,  with  elegant  staterooms  ar- 
ranged on  either  side,  and  the  ladies'  cabin  was  aft  of  the 
dining-cabin.  The  steamer  was  not  only  the  largest  yet 
built  on  fresh  water,  but  was  the  most  perfectly  appointed 
of  all.  She  was  commanded  by  Captain  Howe,  formerly 
of  the  Chesapeake. 

During  this  period  in  the  development  of  the  fresh- 
water craft,  the  sailing  vessels  also  increased  in  numbers 
and  size,  and  much  of  the  romance  of  the  Inland  Seas 
is  closely  associated  with  the  white-winged  vessels.  Al- 
though slow-going  and  uncertain,  as  all  craft  must  be 
that  depend  upon  the  winds  of  heaven  for  their  propelling 
power,  they  were  generally  profitable  carriers,  for  to  them 
was  given  over  the  shipment  of  all  coarse,  heavy  com- 
modities, such  as  grain,  machinery,  lumber,  and  much  of 
the  salt  business.  In  one  week  there  were  shipped  from 
Michigan  City  nine  cargoes  made  up  as  follows: 

Schooner  Huron  Captain  John  Kline  4,746  bushels  of  wheat 

"         Marengo  "        VV.  VV.  Allen         2,100        "       "   corn 

Brig  Nfptune  "        John  Simms         2,500  barrels  of  flour 

700  bushels  of  oats 


RAPID  GROWTH  OF  LAKES  SHIPPING    125 


Brig 


Queen  Charlotte       Captain  C.  Whittemore    1,420  bushels  of  wheat 


Schooner  Detroit 

"         Western  Trader 

"        Savannah 
Brig  John  Kenzie 


Schooner  Missouri 


R.  Cochran  3,386        "       "         " 

H.  McHarry  750       "       "    oats 

175  barrels  of  pork 
Owens  3,400  bushels  of  corn 

John  Thompson  3,800        "       "       " 
2,000  kits  of  bacon 

100  barrels  of  pork 
Dunham  3,600  bushels  of  wheat 


CHAPTER    X 

THE    ADVENT    OF    THE    SCREW   PROPELLER THE 

COMMERCE    OF    LAKE    SUPERIOR 

John  Ericsson,  the  Inventor  of  Screw  Mechanism  —  The  Vandalia,  First 
Propeller  —  The  Hercules  —  Economy  of  Operation  as  Compared 
with  Side-wheel  Type  —  Other  Propellers  —  The  Steam  Whistle  — 
First  Sailing  Vessels  on  Lake  Superior  —  Their  Commerce  — The 
Johi  Jacob  Astor  —  Discovery  of  Stanard's  Rock  —  The  Indepetidence, 
First  Steamer  on  Lake  Superior  —  The  Julia  Palmer,  Side-wheel 
Steamer  —  Copper  Discoveries  — •  Other    Steamers. 

LIKE  all  great  Inventions  which  have  aided  In  the 
J  uplift  of  civilized  races,  the  development  of  the 
steam  engine,  or  rather  its  refinement  along  lines  of  eco- 
nomical operation  and  high  efficiency,  has  been  slow, 
and  even  In  this  century  the  improvement  goes  on  apace. 
To  James  Watt  and  his  associates  is  the  world  Indebted 
for  the  first  practical  steam  engine;  to  Robert  Fulton 
Is  credit  given  for  the  first  successful  application  of  its 
power  to  boat  propulsion;  but  to  still  another  famous 
engineer  Is  all  honor  due  for  bringing  into  use  the  princi- 
ple of  submerged  wheels.  By  this  means  steam  naviga- 
tion on  the  high  seas  was  advanced  from  an  experimental 
stage  of  side  paddle-wheels  to  a  fixed  and  permanent 
place  in  the  commercial  arts.  To-day  the  screw  propeller 
Is  the  universal  type  of  vessel  both  for  deep-sea  and  lake 
navigation,  while  the  use  of  the  side-wheels  Is  confined 
entirely  to  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

Posterity  in  all  fairness  has  agreed  to  name  John  Erics- 
son, the  renowned  engineer  of  Sweden  and  America,  as 
the  father  and  projector  of  the  screw  type  mechanism,  and 
the  general  arrangement  of  the  engine  for  the  applica- 


COMMERCE    OF    LAKE    SUPERIOR     127 

tlon  of  the  power  to  it.  As  in  the  case  of  the  first  suc- 
cessful steamboat  of  Fulton's,  the  solution  of  the  problem 
of  the  submerged  screw  did  not  come  about  at  once  after 
the  early  experiments,  or,  in  fact,  in  several  decades.  Pa- 
tents had  been  granted  in  America  to  other  inventors  as 
early  as  1791,  and  a  steam  propeller  had  been  tried  on 
the  Hudson,  from  1802  to  1806,  by  John  Stevens,  but 
not  until  thirty  years  after  did  the  improved  appliances 
prove  a  commercial  success.  Ericsson,  who  had  been  oc- 
cupied for  several  years  in  improving  the  steam  engine, 
turned  his  attention,  in  1836,  to  steam  propulsion  of  ves- 
sels, and  associated  with  him  was  Francis  B,  Ogden,  then 
United  States  consul  at  Liverpool. 

After  much  thought  and  study  of  the  problem  Ericsson 
made  a  model  of  a  steam  vessel  which  he  thought  entirely 
practical,  and  tested  it  in  a  public  bath  In  Liverpool  before 
an  assemblage  of  engineers  and  public  men.  So  simple 
and  easy  running  was  the  mechanism  that  a  boat  forty 
feet  long  was  built  and  launched  in  the  Thames.  It  was 
propelled  by  a  double  screw,  and  the  engine  was  of  an 
improved  type  for  the  time,  giving  the  little  boat  a  speed 
of  ten  miles  an  hour.  Behind  it  in  the  official  test  was 
towed  the  barge  of  state  with  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty, 
who  were  Interested  spectators;  but  when  asked  to  adopt 
the  principle  of  the  screw  propeller  in  the  British  navy, 
they  refused.  The  reason  given  was  that  they  believed  a 
large  vessel  of  the  line  of  battleship  could  not  be  steered 
when  power  was  applied  so  near  the  stern.  The  same 
disbelief  in  the  practicability  of  new  inventions  has.  In 
all  times  and  ages,  retarded  the  advance  of  mechanical 
science. 

However,  a  friend  of  Ericsson's,  Robert  F.  Stockton,  a 
United  States  naval  officer,  believed  in  the  new  princi- 
ple of  the  application  of  power,  and  ordered  a  small  pro- 
peller built  which  he  named  after  the  inventor,  and  sent 
it  across  the  Atlantic  under  sail.  Ericsson  followed  in 
1839,  ^^*^  spent  several  years  In  further  experiment  and 


128  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

efforts  to  interest  the  Government  in  his  invention.  He 
finally  succeeded  in  1844  when  the  steam  frigate  Prince- 
ton was  built  with  submerged  wheels,  —  the  successful 
precursor  of  the  world-famed  battle  fleets  of  the  nation. 
During  these  years,  nevertheless,  Ericsson's  screw-propeller 
principle  had  been  applied  to  as  many  as  forty-one  vessels 
of  the  merchant  marine  plying  on  the  Great  Lakes  and 
the  coast. 

The  first  screw  propeller  on  the  lakes,  as  also  the  first 
steamboat,  nearly  twenty-five  years  before,  plied  on  Lake 
Ontario.  She  was  the  Vandalia,  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  tons,  built  in  the  Winter  of  1840-41  at  Os- 
wego, and  the  first  trip  to  the  head  of  the  lake  was  made 
November,  1 841 .  Sloop-rigged  with  a  cabin  on  deck  fitted 
comfortably  for  passengers,  the  little  steam  propeller 
attracted  much  attention,  for  in  comparison  with  the 
cumbersome  type  of  the  side-wheelers  with  their  high 
walking-beam  rising  and  plunging  forward,  she  seemed 
to  be  all  deck  and  cabin,  with  no  machinery,  for  there 
was  none  of  the  latter  in  sight.  Only  a  small  stack  near 
the  stern  indicated  that  she  had  any  power  other  than 
the  sails  which  were  used  when  running  with  favor- 
able winds.  In  the  Spring  of  1842,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  Rufus  Hawkins,  the  Vandalia  passed 
through  the  Welland  Canal  to  Buffalo,  where  she  awak- 
ened great  interest  among  the  mariners  of  the  upper 
lakes.  The  total  weight  of  her  machinery  was  only 
fifteen  tons,  and  ten  cords  of  seasoned  wood  were  suf- 
ficient for  a  day's  run.  Several  years  later  the  trim  little 
propeller  was  enlarged  to  three  hundred  and  twenty  tons' 
burden,  and  the  name  changed  to  Milwaukee.  The 
Oswego,  the  second  vessel  of  this  type,  and  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons,  was  built  in  1842  for  service  on  Lake 
Ontario.  On  the  Canadian  side  of  Lake  Ontario  a  pro- 
peller named  the  Ontario  was  the  first  vessel  of  that 
class  to  ply  between  Toronto  and  Quebec.  She  was  of 
one   hundred  and  fifty-eight  tons  and  surprised  the  oldest 


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Facsimile  of  original  drawing   by  John   Ericsson  of  double  engine  for  the    propeller 
Vasdalia,  the  first  screw-propelled  steamer  on  the  Lakes,  built  in    1841 

(Drawing  in  possession  of  Mr.  Frank  E.   Kirby,  of  Detroit) 


COMMERCE    OF    LAKE   SUPERIOR     129 

mariners  by  making  the  trip  between  those  ports  in  three 

days. 

Of  the  popular  misconceptions  regarding  the  merchant 
marine  upon  the  high  seas,  the  idea  that  the  twin-screw- 
type  of  modern  leviathans  was  evolved  from  the  single- 
screw  propeller,  is  a  very  natural  though  a  mistaken  one. 
For,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  early  propellers  were  all 
fitted  with  double  screws  on  independent  shafts,  and  the 
single-screw  shaft  protruding  from  the  stern  post  at  the 
keel  line  came  some  years  after.  One  of  the  widely 
known  propellers  upon  the  upper  lakes  in  those  early 
days  was  the  Hercules,  built  at  Buffalo  in  1843.  She  was 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  tons'  burden  and  was 
equipped  with  two  shafts,  one  on  each  side  of  and  near 
the  stern  post.  The  paddles  or  blades  were  made  of  three- 
eighths  inch  boiler  iron  and  were  eighteen  inches  broad 
and  thirty  inches  long,  giving  to  the  screw  a  diameter 
of  slightly  over  six  feet.  The  popular  impression  of  this 
novel  steamer  is  reflected  in  the  terse  account  that  ap- 
peared in  an  old  print  of  the  time : 

"The  building  of  the  propeller  Hercules  is  the  commenceriient 
of  a  new  era  in  steam  navigation  on  the  lakes,  and  her  owners 
predict  for  that  description  of  vessel  a  large  share  of  the  car- 
rying trade,  especially  upon  the  upper  lakes.  The  Hercules  is 
one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  feet  long,  twenty-five  feet  beam, 
eight  feet  depth  of  hold,  and  put  together  in  the  strongest 
manner.  She  has  fourteen  staterooms,  six  feet  square,  and 
sufficient  additional  space  for  the  erection  of  forty-six  more 
berths,  and  from  the  peculiar  symmetry  of  the  Hercules,  she 
will  afford  ample  accommodation  for  families  emigrating.  Her 
space  below  for  storage  is  large,  having  almost  the  entire 
hull  of  the  vessel  appropriated  for  that  purpose.  The  pe- 
culiar feature  of  the  Hercules  is  her  engine  and  its  auxiliaries. 
On  examining  the  machinery  all  are  struck  with  the  infinite 
compactness  of  the  steam  apparatus  and  its  perfect  simplicity, 
the  whole  weighing  but  fifteen  tons.  The  engine  is  simple  and 
very  small,  lies  close  to  the  keelson  and  fills  a  space  only  six 
feet  square.  It  is  of  the  Ericsson  patent,  was  made  at  Auburn, 
and  is  computed  to  be  of  fifty  horse-power.  From  the  su- 
perb manner  in  which    the   Hercules  is  built   and    fittea  out, 


ijo  OUR    INLAND   SEAS 

having  cost  nearly  twenty  thousand  dollars,  it  Is  apparent  that 
the  enterprising  proprietors  are  determined  to  give  the  experi- 
ment a  full  and  fair  trial." 

Ten  cords  of  seasoned  wood  costing  seventeen  dol- 
lars were  sufficient  to  supply  ample  steam  for  the  twin 
engines  of  the  high-pressure  type,  with  cylinders  four- 
teen inches  in  diameter  and  twenty-eight  inches  stroke. 
The  economy  of  operation  of  the  Hercules  as  compared 
with  some  of  the  largest  side-wheelers  is  shown  by 
the  consumption  by  the  latter  of  two  cords  of  wood  an 
hour  at  normal  speed,  or  at  a  cost  of  eighty  dollars  a 
day.  On  one  occasion  in  the  down  trip  from  Chicago 
to  Buffalo,  the  Hercules  amazed  the  marine  world  by 
covering  the  distance  of  more  than  nine  hundred  miles 
in  six  days,  with  a  cargo  of  twelve  hundred  barrels  of 
flour  and  sundry  merchandise. 

During  the  year  1843  the  propellers  Racine,  New 
York,  and  Chicago,  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  each, 
were  built  at  Oswego,  and  supplied  with  engines  and 
machinery  of  the  same  type  as  the  Hercules.  These 
steamers  plied  for  many  years  on  Lake  Ontario.  In  the 
same  season  the  Sampson  was  built  at  Perrysburg,  on 
the  Maumee  River,  and  was  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
tons;  the  Emigrant  was  built  at  Cleveland  and  meas- 
ured two  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons;  and  in  July  the 
Independence  was  launched  at  Chicago,  and  was  of  two 
hundred  and  sixty-two  tons'  burden.  Steamers  of  this 
tonnage  were  built  one  hundred  and  twelve  feet  in  length, 
twenty-five  feet  beam,  and  nine  to  ten  feet  depth  of  hull. 
In  the  following  year,  1844,  a  larger  propeller  was  built 
at  Buffalo  and  named  the  General  Porter,  registering 
three  hundred  and  ten  tons,  but  came  to  a  disastrous 
end  by  being  wrecked  in  1847.  The  year  1845  witnessed 
still  larger  propellers,  —  the  Syracuse,  built  at  Oswego,  the 
Princeton,  at  Perrysburg,  and  the  Phoenix,  at  Cleveland, 
each  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  Five  years  later 
at  the  middle  of  the  century  there  had  been  built  about 


COMMERCE    OF    LAKE   SUPERIOR     131 

fifty  screw  propellers,  measuring  sixteen  thousand,  four 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  tons,  and  at  that  time  they 
were  fast  supplanting  the  side-wheelers,  in  the  gen- 
eral carrying  trade.  Especially  was  this  true  in  the 
transportation  of  coarse,  heavy  commodities  such  as 
grain,  machinery,  lumber,  and  salt,  which  left  for  the 
larger  and  more  stately  steamboats  the  elegant  passen- 
ger traffic  and  the  package  shipments  of  general  mer- 
chandise. 

It  was  in  1850  that  the  propeller  California  was  built 
with  twin  engines,  the  cylinders  of  which  were  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter  with  thirty-four  inches  stroke,  and 
with  eight-foot  wheels;  the  Globe,  also  with  twin  en- 
gines with  cylinders  sixteen  inches  in  diameter  and 
twenty-eight  inches  stroke;  and  the  Goliath  and  Man- 
hattan, with  about  the  same  equipment  of  machinery. 
These  steamers  were  about  one  hundred  and  forty  feet 
in  length,  twenty-four  feet  beam,  and  ten  feet  depth  of 
hold. 

The  invention  of  the  steam  whistle  was  an  event  of 
very  lively  interest  to  the  vessel  men  of  the  lakes,  for 
it  was  on  a  lake  steamboat  that  the  first  whistle,  a 
rather  crude  affair,  was  tried  out.  During  the  Winter 
of  1843-44  the  steamboat  Rochester,  which  was  the  last 
of  the  old-timers  to  be  overhauled,  was  given  an  upper 
deck  and  cabin,  and  while  the  work  was  going  on  her 
chief  engineer,  William  McGee,  experimented  with  a 
whistle  made  from  plans  and  descriptions  he  had  seen 
in  a  foreign  paper.  As  the  whistle  gave  forth  a  most 
piercing  screech,  well  calculated  to  startle  the  natives, 
it  was  attached  to  the  Rochester  more  for  novelty 
than  for  practical  use.  The  steamboat  left  Buffalo 
for  Chicago  on  her  first  trip  of  the  season  early  In  May, 
and  when  steaming  northward  on  Lake  Huron  near 
Bois  Blanc  Light,  she  overhauled  the  propeller  General 
Porter,  Captain  Charles  L.  Gager,  between  whom  and 
engineer  McGee  there  had  long  existed  a  bitter  enmity. 


132  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

As  the  Rochester  approached  almost  in  the  wake  of  the 
slower  propeller,  the  doughty  engineer  was  ready  with 
his  whistle,  and  when  close  up  to  her  he  gave  it  vehement 
voice,  ostensibly  to  "  shoo-fly  "  the  General  Porter  and  her 
master.  The  defiant  whistle  continued  to  blow  while  the 
Rochester  forged  ahead  of  the  propeller,  much  to  the 
disgust  and  anger  of  the  latter's  captain.  The  side-wheeler 
hauled  to  at  Mackinac,  the  regular  stopping  place  at  the 
head  of  the  lakes,  and  in  due  time  the  Porter  also 
arrived.  Captain  Gager,  who  was  unaware  of  the  fact 
that  his  arch  enemy,  McGee,  was  the  offender,  hastened 
to  the  landing  place  of  the  Rochester,  and  demanded  in  a 
loud  voice  the  presence  of  the  man  who  had  so  insultingly 
"  squawked  "  at  him.  The  engineer  had  expected  such  an 
outburst  of  righteous  anger,  and  shouted  "Here  he  is," 
at  the  same  moment  landing  on  the  deck  at  a  bound. 
Nothing  but  the  intervention  of  bystanders  prevented 
a  serious  encounter,  as  both  men  were  stalwarts. 
McGee's  steam  whistle  proved  of  great  utility  and  it 
was  at  once  adopted  by  steamboat  owners,  thus  rele- 
gating the  alarm  bell.  It  was  not  long  before  steam 
whistles  were  in  quite  general  use  on  factories  and  other 
establishments  on  land. 

The  commerce  of  Lake  Superior  was  developed  long 
after  that  of  the  lower  lakes  had  become  well  established; 
and  viewed  in  the  order  of  the  natural  events,  there  are 
several  logical  reasons  for  it.  Settlement  of  the  north 
country  had  been  retarded,  for  it  was  a  cold  and  forbid- 
ding wilderness  offering  little  inducement  or  promise  to 
the  early  pioneers  in  a  more  temperate  clime.  Just  as 
settlement  of  the  country  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Hu- 
ron and  Lake  Michigan  had  naturally  waited  for  immi- 
gration from  the  East  to  first  populate  the  villages  along 
the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  so  the  then  far  north  country 
waited  for  a  considerable  growth  in  population  of  the 
territory  immediately  south  of  it.  Then,  too,  the  falls  of 
the  St.  Maiy's  River,  which  had  been  impassable  to  even 


COMMERCE   OF    LAKE    SUPERIOR     133 

the  birch-bark  canoes  of  the  early  fur  traders,  presented 
an  insuperable  barrier  to  all  navigation  between  Lake 
Superior  and  the  lower  lakes. 

Prior  to  the  War  of  1812  there  were  but  four  or  five 
small  sloops  and  schooners  upon  the  waters  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  there  was  very  little  traffic  for  them,  aside 
from  the  occasional  cargoes  of  furs  which  were  col- 
lected by  the  British  Northwestern  Company,  at  a  few 
posts  along  the  southern  shore.  In  1812  another  little 
sloop  of  forty  tons,  named  the  Fur  Trader^  was  built,  but, 
as  the  trade  was  declining,  it  was  run  down  the  St.  Mary's 
River  rapids  and  so  seriously  damaged  by  striking  a 
hidden  rock  as  to  be  abandoned  as  a  wreck.  The  other 
sailing  vessels,  with  little  or  no  business  offered,  at  dif- 
ferent times  accepted  the  hazard  of  shooting  the  rapids, 
and  were  more  successful  in  this  than  had  been  the  first 
craft  to  attempt  it.  For  a  time  there  was  only  one  small 
vessel  with  sails  upon  the  whole  wide  expanse  of  Lake 
Superior. 

For  a  period  of  about  twenty  years  following  the 
termination  of  the  war,  the  fur  trade  and  the  commerce 
of  the  upper  lake  was  in  a  dormant  state,  and  the  ba- 
teau and  the  canoe  of  the  Indians  were  the  only  craft 
upon  its  waters.  In  1817  the  brig  JVellington,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Alex.  Mcintosh,  towed  a  small 
vessel  of  thirty  tons'  burden,  named  the  Axmouth,  from 
Lake  Erie  to  the  Sault,  where  it  was  hauled  out  and  over 
the  portage  on  the  Canadian  side.  It  was  the  first  vessel 
from  the  lower  lakes  to  be  launched  into  Lake  Superior 
waters,  and  was  delivered  to  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany which  the  year  before,  under  the  control  of  John 
Jacob  Astor,  had  succeeded  to  the  business  of  the  Brit- 
ish Company.  Five  years  later  a  schooner  bearing  the 
British  ensign  appeared,  and  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant  Bayfield  was  engaged  in  making  surveys  and 
charts  of  the  lake.  This  was  the  first  work  of  the  kind 
undertaken  in  these  waters. 


134  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

About  1834  the  fur  trade  began  to  show  signs  of 
revival,  and  the  American  Fur  Company  ordered  a  large 
vessel  for  their  upper  lake  business.  Ramsay  Crooks 
and  Oliver  Newberry,  of  Detroit,  were  commissioned 
to  attend  to  the  matter,  and  a  schooner  of  one  hundred 
and  twelve  tons  was  built.  The  frame  timbers  and  planks 
of  white  oak  were  cut  at  Black  River,  Ohio,  during  the 
winter,  and  in  April,  1835,  they  were  shipped  on  board 
the  schooner  Bridget  which  arrived  at  the  Sault  about  the 
first  of  May.  The  materials  were  then  hauled  over 
the  portage,  a  distance  of  nearly  a  mile,  to  the  upper 
waters,  and  the  keel  of  the  vessel  was  laid  on  the  sev- 
enteenth of  that  month.  It  was  the  first  sailing  vessel 
to  be  built  and  launched  by  Americans  on  Lake  Superior, 
and  when  given  to  its  natural  element,  early  in  August, 
was  named  the  John  Jacob  Astor.  On  the  fifteenth  of 
August,  in  command  of  Captain  Charles  C.  Stanard,  the 
Astor  sailed  up  the  lake  on  its  first  voyage,  and  on  the" 
twenty-sixth,  the  captain  discovered  the  celebrated  rock 
which  has  since  excited  so  much  curiosity,  and  has  been 
so  great  a  source  of  annoyance  and  anxiety  to  the  navi- 
gators of  Lake  Superior.  When  first  sighted  the  weather 
was  thick  and  the  lake  rough,  and  it  appeared  to  be  a 
huge  bateau  capsized  with  the  sea  breaking  over  it.  The 
following  day  its  true  character  was  determined,  and 
its  location  marked  on  the  crude  charts  of  the  time.  It 
was  such  a  menace  to  navigation  near  the  entrance  to 
Keweenaw  Bay,  that  some  years  after  the  Government 
established  a  beacon  light  on  the  spot,  and  it  has  ever 
since  been  known  as  Stanard's  Rock  Light. 

The  Astor  sailed  the  lake  for  several  years  but  was 
wrecked  on  the  rocky  shores  in  1884.  On  September 
21,  it  lay  at  anchor  in  Copper  Harbor,  when  a 
violent  gale  sprang  up,  the  cable  parted,  and  the  craft 
was  driven  helplessly  ashore,  striking  on  a  low  con- 
glomerate cliff.  No  lives  were  lost  and  most  of  the  cargo 
was  saved.     In   1837  the  American  Fur  Company  had 


COMMERCE    OF    LAKE   SUPERIOR     135 

built  a  small  vessel  named  the  Madaline,  sailed  by  Cap- 
tain Angus,  which  was  engaged  chiefly  in  the  fishing  trade. 
A  year  later  the  schooner  IFilUam  Brewster,  of  seventy- 
three  tons,  was  built  of  timbers  and  plank  brought  up 
the  lakes  from  Ohio,  and  was  commanded  by  Captain 
John  Wood.  In  1842,  however,  it  was  sent  down  the 
St.  Mary's  rapids  to  join  the  lower  lakes  fleet  which 
was  engaged  in  a  more  profitable  trade. 

Steam  navigation  on  Lake  Superior  was  inaugurated 
by  a  propeller,  and  ever  since  that  event  this  type  of 
vessel  has  seemed  better  adapted  than  any  other  to  nav- 
igate its  troubled  waters.  The  discovery  of  copper  in 
the  years  1843  and  1844  greatly  increased  the  prospec- 
tive richness  of  the  Lake  Superior  country,  and  the  vicinity 
of  Copper  Harbor  on  Keweenaw  Point  became  the 
Mecca  of  fortune  hunters.  As  a  result  immigration  at 
last  turned  toward  the  north,  commerce  increased  rapidly; 
and  naturally  the  vessel  men  were  the  first  to  feel  its 
effects  and  gauge  its  prospects.  In  the  Autumn  of  1844 
the  propeller  Independence  was  taken  to  the  Sault,  and, 
when  the  winter  had  set  in,  it  was  hauled  out  of  the 
river  and  made  ready  for  an  overland  voyage  to  the 
higher  level  of  the  upper  lake.  Aided  by  a  heavy  fall 
of  snow  which  was  packed  down  along  the  road,  several 
yoke  of  oxen  tugged  and  dragged  the  hull  over  the  mile 
course,  and  left  it  in  an  advantageous  position  for  launch- 
ing in  the  spring. 

The  winter  ice  in  this  latitude  does  not  break  up  and 
drift  out  of  the  harbors  and  lake  until  late  in  the  spring, 
and  with  repairs  to  be  made  on  the  Independence^  it 
was  well  along  in  the  summer  when  it  finally  steamed 
from  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
J.  M.  Averill.  The  best  speed  under  steam  alone  was 
not  much  more  than  five  miles  an  hour,  but  this  was  some- 
times accelerated  by  the  use  of  the  foresail  and  main- 
sail when  the  wind  was  favorable.  Steaming  up  the 
lake  the  first  port  touched  was  Copper  Harbor,  or  Fort 


136  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

Wilklns,  where  there  was  a  small  garrison  and  a  few 
huts  of  fishermen  and  early  prospectors.  Continuing  the 
voyage  the  first  propeller  on  the  upper  lake  discharged 
the  cargo  at  Eagle  River,  early  in  the  Fall  of  1845. 
Eagle  Harbor,  Ontonagon,  Marquette,  L'Anse,  and 
Superior  were  the  only  other  settlements  then  on  the  lake. 
Landings  had  to  be  made  in  small  boats,  as  navigation 
close  to  the  rocky  shores  was  always  dangerous,  and  no 
reliable  charts  existed.  The  only  beacon  lights  were 
at  White  Fish  Point  and  on  Manitou  Island. 

The  first  steamboat  (side-wheeler)  to  be  hauled 
around  the  rapids  for  service  on  Lake  Superior  was  the 
Julia  Palmer,  and  the  first  trip  of  the  old  vessel  was  made 
in  the  Spring  of  1846.  The  schooner  Napoleon  was 
taken  over  at  about  the  same  time  and  afterward  equipped 
with  steam  power  applied  to  a  screw  mechanism.  The 
following  year  the  steamer  Baltimore^  of  five  hundred 
tons'  burden,  was  hauled  across  the  portage;  and  soon 
after  the  propellers  Manhattan,  Peninsula,  Monticello,  the 
side-wheeler  Sam  IFard,  and  the  schooner  George 
W.  Ford,  augmented  the  upper  lake  fleet.  By  1850  the 
merchant  marine  had  been  increased  by  the  schooners 
Algonquin^  Swallow^  and  Merchant^  of  about  seventy 
tons;  the  Chippezva,  Siskozvit,  and  Uncle  Tom,  of  forty 
tons;  and  the  White  Fish  of  fifty  tons,  owned  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company.  The  Merchant  was  lost  in  a 
gale  in  1847,  with  several  passengers  and  her  crew. 

At  about  the  time  that  the  copper  discoveries  on  Ke- 
weenaw Point  aroused  the  whole  country  to  the  possibili- 
ties of  wealth  and  permanent  settlements  in  the  then 
Northwest,  there  was  no  regular  line  of  steamboats  or 
propellers  running  between  Detroit  and  Sault  Ste.  Marie. 
But  in  1845  Captain  E.  B.  Ward,  one  of  the  promi- 
nent vessel  owners  on  the  lakes,  placed  the  side-wheeler 
Detroit  on  the  route  between  the  Sault  portage  and  the 
lower  lake  ports,  making  regular  weekly  trips.  In  the 
Spring  of  1846  the  steamer  Ben  Franklin  was  added  to 


COMMERCE    OF    LAKE    SUPERIOR     137 

the  route,  and  ran  steadily  until  1850  in  which  year  it 
was  wrecked  on  Thunder  Bay.  At  intervals,  to  meet  the 
growing  commerce  created  by  the  valuable  copper  finds, 
other  steamers  were  operated,  of  which  the  most  pop- 
ular were  the  Northerner,  London,  Tecumseh,  Albany, 
Illinois,  E.  K.  Collins,  North  Star,  and  Goliath.  On  the 
Canadian  route,  from  Owen  Sound  ports  to  the  Sault, 
the  small  steamers  Gore  and  Plow  Boy  took  the  immi- 
gration coming  through  Canada. 


CHAPTER  XI 

PROSPEROUS   TIMES   FOR   THE    LAKE   MARINE 

Divisions  of  Lake  Commerce  —  Vessels  in  Service,  1846  —  Advance  in 
Steam  Engineering  —  Rates  —  The  Steamboat  May  Flower  —  The 
Atlantic  —  Its  Loss  —  Account  of  Eye-Witness  —  Great  Tide  of  Im- 
migration into  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  —  Vessels  in  1850 — Chicago- 
Ogdensburg  Line  —  Influence  of  Erie  Canal  and  Other  Canals  on 
Lake  Commerce  —  Trend  in  Shipbuilding  —  New  Leviathans,  1850- 
1853  —  Disastrous  Competition. 

FOR  a  clear  and  comprehensive  survey  of  the  develop- 
ment in  the  shipping  on  the  Inland  Seas,  the  history 
of  the  traffic  and,  in  fact,  the  commerce  of  the  whole 
lake  region,  may  be  divided  into  two  periods.  The  one 
beginning  with  the  Indian  trade  in  the  birch-bark  canoe, 
continuing  through  the  transition  from  the  bateau  and 
Mackinac  boat  to  the  white-winged  schooners  and  steam- 
boats of  greater  tonnage  and  speed,  properly  ends  with  the 
commencement  of  railroad  competition,  in  the  early  fifties. 
The  other  period,  in  which  the  competitive  influence 
of  several  trunk  lines  of  the  iron  trail  was  felt  by  the  ship- 
ping, begins  with  the  completion  of  the  Great  Western 
Railway  to  the  Detroit  River,  and  extends  to  the  present 
time.  The  narrative  of  the  upper  lake  country  may  have 
a  further  division,  before  and  after  the  opening  of  the 
St.  Mary's  ship  canal  and  locks,  in  1855,  which  event  was 
the  real  beginning  of  the  development  of  the  upper- 
interlake  waterway  traffic. 

The  history  of  the  first  period  embraces  the  discovery, 
exploitation,  settlement,  and  early  development  of  the 
vast  territory  known  as  the  Middle  West,  and  may  fit- 
tingly  be    concluded    within    the    limits    of    the    present 


PROSPEROUS    TIMES  139 

chapter.  The  vessels  of  the  merchant  marine  covered 
a  wide  range  in  size,  form,  construction,  and  method  of 
propulsion,  but  for  every  one  of  them  wood  was  the  com- 
mon material.  In  the  second  period  the  great  increase 
in  the  internal  commerce  of  the  nation  and  traffic  from 
the  West  to  foreign  shores,  necessitated  the  building  of 
many  and  larger  steamers  to  carry  it. 

The  limit  as  to  size  of  wooden  ships  was  finally  reached 
in  dimensions  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  length, 
and  forty-six  feet  beam,  and,  as  the  demand  for  still 
larger  vessels  continued,  principally  for  reasons  of 
economy  of  operation,  shipbuilders  substituted  iron  in 
the  construction  of  the  hulls.  The  possibilities  of  iron 
ships  of  greatly  increased  tonnage  were  quickly  realized, 
and  soon  led  to  a  revolution  In  shipbuilding,  from  which 
emerged  the  era  of  steel  ships.  These  are  perfectly 
adapted  to  every  requirement  of  the  lake  marine;  and 
as  commerce  expanded  the  ships  increased  In  tonnage, 
largely  replacing  the  old  wooden  hulls  In  almost  every 
division  of  the  traffic.  The  great  express  steamers  of 
to-day  in  the  passenger  service,  the  modern  package 
freighters  comprising  scores  of  lines,  and  the  giant  ore- 
carriers —  the  twentieth  century  leviathans  —  are  the 
most  remarkable  feature  of  America's  waterways.  These 
excellent  examples  of  the  marine  architect's  greatest 
skill,  and  incidentally  the  commerce  of  modern  times, 
will  be  the  subjects  of  the  following  chapters. 

The  number  of  vessels  In  the  merchant  service  in  1846 
was  not  much,  If  any,  greater  than  in  1841,  but  the  aggre- 
gate tonnage  had  increased  to  an  appreciable  extent. 
This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  vessels  which  had  been 
wrecked,  sunk,  burned,  or  by  reason  of  age  or  structural 
weakness  consigned  to  a  marine  graveyard,  were  of  much 
smaller  size  and  tonnage  than  the  fine  large  steamboats, 
the  beamy  propellers,  and  the  stanch  schooners  which 
were  built  during  those  years.  Prior  to  1835  the  largest 
vessels  built  were  from  three  hundred  to  three  hundred 


I40  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

and  fifty  tons'  burden,  while  by  far  the  greater  proportion 
were  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  Ten 
years  later  the  dimensions  of  new  steamboats  had  in- 
creased the  tonnage  to  seven  hundred  or  eight  hundred, 
and  their  accommodations  for  passengers,  especially  im- 
migrants in  the  steerage,  were  enormous. 

There  were  in  commission  along  the  whole  chain  of 
lakes,  in  1846,  sixty-seven  steamboats,  twenty-six  pro- 
pellers, three  hundred  and  forty  schooners,  sixty-four 
brigs,  and  three  barks.  The  largest  of  the  sailing  vessels 
were  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and  some 
were  old  steamboats  converted  into  schooners.  Their 
routes  lay  from  any  and  all  ports  through  the  length  of 
the  lakes,  like  the  tramp  ships  of  to-day;  and  their 
cargoes  consisted  principally  of  coal,  lumber,  wood,  and 
stone.  The  smaller  craft  were  engaged  in  business  of 
a  local  character,  carrying  produce,  wood,  general  mer- 
chandise, and  salt.  The  total  tonnage  of  vessels  that  year 
was  106,836,  of  which  60,825  was  steam  tonnage  and 
46,011  under  sail.  The  total  merchandise  transported 
was  3,861,098  tons,  and  the  passengers  numbered  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  There  were  nearly 
seven  thousand  mariners  engaged  in  the  hazardous  nav- 
igation of  the  lakes;  and  the  steam  vessels  earned  on  an 
average  three  thousand  dollars  for  the  season.  The 
British  tonnage  at  this  time  was  about  thirty  thousand. 

While  the  shipbuilders  of  the  time  were  turning  out 
larger  and  finer  steamboats  and  more  capacious  propellers, 
the  mechanical  art  of  steam  engineering  kept  pace  with 
the  new  requirements.  As  each  new  leviathan  of  the 
day  came  out  it  was  equipped  with  improved  engines  of 
increased  power,  and.  In  some  Instances,  of  greater  ef- 
ficiency and  economy  of  operation.  7  he  first  compound 
engine  built  for  a  lake  steamboat  was  placed  In  the 
Oregon,  a  clipper  ship  of  1846,  which  was  two  hundred 
feet  in  length,  twenty-eight  feet  beam,  and  six  feet  draft. 
The   engine   cylinders  were   twenty-four   and   forty-eight 


PROSPEROUS   TIMES  14I 

inches  in  diameter  and  nine-feet  stroke,  giving  the  steam- 
boat a  speed  which  won  for  it  a  large  patronage.  During 
the  season  the  passenger  rate  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  was 
six  dollars,  and  the  keen  competition  often  resulted  in 
tests  of  speed  interesting  and  exciting  alike  to  passengers 
and  crew.  It  was  a  dangerous  practice,  however,  as 
the  long  list  of  disasters  on  the  lakes,  due  to  boiler  ex- 
plosions, broken-down  machinery,  strained  and  leaking 
hulls  directly  attributable  to  this  racing  fever  of  the  cap- 
tains, and  the  consequent  loss  of  life,  mutely  testifies. 
Travellers  of  those  days  were  as  eager  to  go  on  the  fast 
steamboats,  often  regardless  of  personal  safety,  as  are 
those  of  the  twentieth  century,  who  never  think  of  the 
dangers  of  high  speed  on  sea  or  land. 

In  1847  ^  combination  of  vessel  interests  was  formed 
to  stop  the  abuses  into  which  the  lake  traffic  had  drifted, 
and  to  fix  stable  rates.  Cabin  passage  from  Buffalo  to 
Chicago  was  then  ten  dollars;  to  Detroit  four  dollars; 
and  to  Cleveland  three  dollars.  Freights  were  also  re- 
vised and  fifty  cents  per  one  hundred  pounds,  and  one 
dollar  a  barrel  for  bulky  merchandise,  produce,  and  meats 
became  the  established  charge  through  the  length  of  the 
lakes.  The  following  year  a  new  line  was  organized  by 
the  Michigan  Central  Railway  to  operate  between  Mon- 
roe, Mich.,  and  Buffalo,  and  a  vigorous  effort  made  to 
divert  a  portion  of  the  eastern  business  to  their  rail 
lines,  stretching  across  the  southern  part  of  Michigan 
to  Chicago.  The  steamboats  Southerner,  Baltimore,  De- 
Witt  Clinton,  Ben  Franklin,  and  Julius  were  operated 
on  this  route  for  two  or  three  years. 

The  first  steamboat  built  at  Detroit  for  this  rail-water 
line  was  the  May  Flower,  which  was  completed  for  service 
on  May  28,  1849.  It  was  the  largest  vessel  yet  con- 
structed and  launched  in  the  waters  of  the  Great  Lakes; 
it  measured  two  hundred  and  eighty-two  feet  in  length, 
thirty-five  feet  beam,  and  twelve  feet  depth  of  hull;  and 
was    of    twelve    hundred    and    forty-two    tons'    register. 


142  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

There  were  three  boilers  of  the  largest  size  then  known, 
and  the  engine  of  the  beam  type  had  a  cylinder  seventy- 
two  Inches  in  diameter  by  eleven  feet  stroke.  The  May 
Flower  was  elegantly  fitted  out  and  was  regarded  as  the 
finest  craft  afloat.  There  were  eighty-five  staterooms 
with  accommodations  for  three  hundred  cabin  passengers, 
and  provision  was  made  in  the  steerage  for  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  immigrants.  With  all  her  power  and  speed 
this  favorite  steamboat  had  a  short  career.  On  December 
1 6,  1 85 1,  it  stranded  near  Erie,  but  no  lives  were  lost. 
It  was  recovered  the  following  Spring,  repaired,  and 
again  took  its  place  in  the  line.  Two  years  later,  how- 
ever, It  was  wrecked  on  Point  Pelee  In  a  dense  fog  In 
November,  1854. 

Contemporary  with  the  May  Flower  was  the  famous 
steamer  Atlantic  which  still  lingers  in  the  memory  of  the 
old  mariners.  It  was  noted  for  the  unusual  bursts  of 
speed  which  often  were  kept  up  for  hours,  when  Its  engine 
was  pushed  to  its  utmost  power;  and  will  not  be  forgotten 
because  of  its  loss  at  sea  In  one  of  the  greatest  disasters 
In  marine  annals  of  the  Great  Lakes.  The  Atlantic  was 
built  at  Newport,  In  1849,  and  was  eleven  hundred  and 
fifty  tons'  register,  measuring  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
feet  In  length,  thirty-three  feet  beam,  and  thirteen  feet, 
four  Inches  depth.  In  the  first  season,  as  a  speed  test,  It 
ran  from  Buffalo  to  Detroit  In  sixteen  and  one-half  hours, 
the  quickest  trip  ever  made  up  to  that  time. 

The  tragic  ending  of  the  Atlantic  occurred  on  the  dark 
night  of  the  twentieth  of  August,  1852,  when  the  pro- 
peller Ogdensburg  rammed  the  side-wheeler  in  collision 
off  Long  Point,  In  Lake  Erie.  The  Atlantic  went  down 
In  deep  water  a  few  minutes  later  with  a  loss  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  lives,  and  a  full  cargo  of  general 
merchandise  consigned  to  the  West.  The  late  account 
of  an  eye-witness  of  the  disaster,  a  fireman  on  the  ill-fated 
steamboat,  graphically  depicts  the  harrowing  scene: 


PROSPEROUS   TIMES  143 

"It  is  all  as  clear  to  me  as  though  it  happened  only  yester- 
day. Every  boat  from  the  East  in  those  days  was  packed  with 
foreigners  seeking  a  home  in  the  Middle  West.  We  left  Buffalo 
about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  I  was  on  watch.  When 
about  opposite  Long  Point  the  propeller  Ogdensburg  loomed  out 
of  the  darkness  without  the  slightest  warning,  striking  the 
Atlantic  well  forward  on  the  port  side.  The  Ogdensburg,  we 
learned  afterward,  was  turning  in  to  make  the  Welland  Canal, 

"We  were  struck  fair  and  a  great  hole  torn  in  the  port  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  through  which  poured  a  terrific  stream  of  water. 
The  passengers  were  nearly  all  Danes  and  Swedes,  great  burly 
fellows  armed  with  long  knives  which  they  knew  how  to  handle. 
They  could  not  talk  any  English,  and  it  did  n't  do  any  good  to 
try  talking  with  them.  They  were  the  worst  scared  lot  I  ever 
saw.  Men  would  fight  among  themselves  for  a  chance  to  get 
into  the  life-boats.  They  were  not  content  to  get  in  themselves, 
but  insisted  on  taking  their  bundles  and  big  boxes  with  them. 
Women  and  children  were  trampled  on  as  though  they  were  of 
no  account,  and  their  cries,  added  to  the  shouts  of  the  crazed 
foreigners,  drowned  the  voices  of  the  ship's  officers.  There 
was  n't  any  use  fighting  with  such  a  lot  of  human  devils,  so 
some  of  us  got  axes  and  knocked  off  cabin  doors  and  everything 
else  we  could  and  showed  the  women  how  to  hang  on  when  the 
boat  went  down. 

"Some  of  the  life-boats  launched  were  swamped  as  soon  as 
they  touched  the  water.  Others  got  away  safely  with  their 
loads  and  were  picked  up.  While  we  were  working  the  hardest 
trying  to  save  the  women  and  children,  I  felt  a  lurch,  and  the 
next  instant  the  Atlantic  went  to  the  bottom,  the  water  being 
filled  with  those  who  had  been  unable  to  get  into  the  boats. 
How  we  were  picked  up  and  cared  for  is  a  matter  of  record,  as 
is  the  number  of  those  who  were  lost.  But  there  are  details  of 
that  night  that  have  never  been  accurately  depicted,  and  which 
I  would  gladly  forget,  if  I  could. 

"At  that  I  was  fortunate,  although  losing  everything,  I  had 
saved  my  life.  A  boyhood  friend  of  mine  from  Toronto  was  on 
his  way  to  Sarnia  to  visit  relatives.  I  managed  to  secure  pas- 
sage for  him  on  the  Atlantic,  and  he  was  sleeping  in  my  bunk 
when  the  collision  came.  He  must  have  been  killed,  for  the 
bow  of  the  Ogdensburg  ploughed  through  the  room  he  was  occu- 
pying, and  I  never  saw  him  afterward," 

Among  the  heavy  losers  by  the  disaster  was  an  express 
company  whose  safe,  well  filled  with  currency  and  valu- 
ables, went  down  with  the  vessel.    A  thrilling  scene  at  the 


144  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

time  of  Its  recovery,  almost  four  years  later,  was  narrated 
in  the  issue  of  Frank  Leslie's  Illustrated  Newspaper,  for 
July  12,  1856: 

"  A  submarine  diver  from  Buffalo  has  at  last  succeeded  in 
raising  the  safe  of  the  American  Express  Company,  which  was 
lost  when  the  steamer  Atlantic  was  sunk  off  Long  Point,  in 
1852.  It  will  be  recollected  that  this  steamer  was  instantly 
sunk  by  a  collision  with  a  propeller,  and  that  a  large  number 
of  passengers  were  lost.  The  diver  was  protected  by  copper 
armor,  and  was  under  water  forty  minutes,  during  which  time 
he  had  some  strange  adventures.  The  upper  deck  of  the 
steamer  lies  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  under  water,  and  far 
below  where  there  is  any  current  or  motion.  Everything, 
therefore,  is  exactly  as  it  first  went  down.  When  the  diver 
alighted  upon  the  deck,  he  was  saluted  by  a  beautiful  lady, 
whose  clothing  was  well  arranged,  and  her  hair  elegantly 
dressed.  As  he  approached  her,  the  motion  of  the  water 
caused  an  oscillation  of  the  head,  as  if  gracefully  bowing  to 
him.  She  was  standing  erect,  with  one  hand  grasping  the 
rigging.  Around  lay  the  bodies  of  several  others  as  if  sleeping. 
Children  holding  their  friends  by  their  hands,  and  mothers 
with  their  babies  in  their  arms  were  there. 

"In  the  cabin,  the  furniture  was  still  untouched  by  decay, 
and  to  all  appearance,  had  just  been  arranged  by  some  careful 
and  tasteful  hand.  In  the  office  he  found  the  safe,  and  was 
enabled  to  move  it  with  ease,  and  took  it  upon  deck,  where  the 
grappling  irons  were  fastened  on,  and  the  prize  brought  safely 
to  the  light.  Upon  opening  the  safe  it  displayed  its  contents  in 
a  perfect  state  of  preservation.  There  was  in  the  safe  five 
thousand  dollars  in  gold,  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  in  bills  of 
the  Government  Stock  Bank,  and  a  large  amount  of  bills  of 
other  banks,  amounting  in  all  to  about  thirty-six  thousand 
dollars.  Of  course,  all  this  money  goes  to  the  persons  inter- 
ested in  this  wonderful  adventure." 

It  was  about  1850  that  the  wave  of  prosperity,  which 
for  some  years  had  been  on  the  ascendant  sweeping 
through  the  Great  Lakes  country,  finally  reached  Its 
height.  At  that  time  the  population  of  Michigan  had 
increased  to  397,654,  and  Wisconsin  to  305,391.  All 
the  Inhabitants  of  these  struggling  States  rich  In  natural 
resources,  came  by  way  of  the  lakes,   and  a  large  pro- 


PROSPEROUS    TIMES  145 

portion  were  thrifty  foreigners.  They  did  not  straggle 
along  by  twos  and  threes  but  came  in  droves,  and  the 
steamboats  on  westbound  trips  were  so  closely  packed 
with  humanity  that  the  crews  could  scarcely  get  about 
to  attend  to  their  work,  of  navigation.  Every  steamer 
bound  up  the  lakes  carried  from  three  hundred  to  five 
hundred  cabin  passengers  and  several  hundred  other  im- 
migrants in  the  steerage.  Instances  have  been  recorded 
where  from  thirteen  to  fifteen  hundred  people  were  un- 
loaded from  the  largest  steamboats,  along  the  western 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  a  single  trip. 

In  1850  there  were  sixteen  large  first-class  steamboats 
and  twenty  steam  propellers,  each  of  more  than  three 
hundred  tons'  register,  engaged  in  the  commerce  between 
Buffalo  and  Chicago.  Besides  these  there  was  an  almost 
endless  number  of  schooners  and  brigs,  many  of  which 
could  carry  from  ten  thousand  to  fifteen  thousand  bushels 
of  grain.  The  steamers  alone  plying  between  these  ports 
maintained  a  service  of  arrivals  and  departures  twice 
daily.  They  were  elegantly  fitted  up,  the  cabins  were 
large  and  luxurious,  bands  of  music  were  carried,  and 
the  cuisine  was  equal  to  that  of  the  best  of  the  American 
hotels.  The  trip  from  one  end  of  the  route  to  the  other 
generally  was  made  by  the  fastest  steamboats  in  about 
four  days;  the  fare  for  cabin  passage  was  ten  dollars; 
and  the  profits  were  large.  There  was  a  north  shore 
line  of  five  propellers  between  Buffalo  and  Detroit;  three 
steamers  plied  between  Detroit  and  Dunkirk,  the  terminal 
of  the  Erie  Railway  to  New  York;  three  between  Detroit 
and  Cleveland;  one  between  Detroit  and  Sandusky;  two 
between  Detroit  and  Toledo;  one  between  Detroit  and 
Chatham,  Ontario;  two  between  Detroit  and  Port  Hu- 
ron; one  between  Detroit  and  Saginaw;  one  between 
Buffalo  and  Green  Bay;  and  four  between  Cleveland  and 
Lake  Superior  ports.  The  port  of  Detroit  in  those  days, 
as  it  is  at  present,  was  one  of  the  most  important  dis- 
tributing points  on  the  lakes.     The  value  of  the  imports 


146  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

and  exports  at  the  principal  ports  of  the  Great  Lakes 
exceeded  eighty-one  million  dollars. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  second  half  of  the  century 
there  were,  on  the  entire  chain  of  lakes,  ninety-five  steam- 
boats, forty-five  propellers,  five  barks,  ninety-three  brigs, 
five  hundred  and  forty-eight  schooners,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  sloops  and  scows,  with  an  aggregate 
tonnage  of  153,454.  The  largest  and  most  popular 
steamboat  built  in  1850  was  the  Buckeye  State,  which  was 
two  hundred  and  eighty-two  feet  in  length,  thirty-two  feet 
beam,  and  thirteen  feet  depth  of  hull.  After  the  loss  of 
the  Atlantic  the  Buckeye  State  took  its  place  on  the  line 
between  Monroe  and  Buffalo,  running  with  the  May 
Flower  and  the  Ocean.  The  following  year  the  Northern 
Transportation  Company  was  organized  to  operate  a  line 
of  first-class  propellers  between  Ogdensburg  and  Chicago, 
using  the  enlarged  Welland  Canal  around  the  Niagara 
River  from  Lake  Erie  to  Lake  Ontario.  In  1852  they 
operated  the  steamers  Ogdensburg,  Boston,  Prairie  State, 
Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  Cleve- 
land, J.  W .  Brooks,  Lady  of  the  Lake,  and  Louisville. 
These  vessels  were  from  two  hundred  and  eighty  to  three 
hundred  tons'  burden,  and  for  twenty-four  years  main- 
tained this  long  and  profitable  route.  A  general  reduction 
of  rates,  due  to  railroad  competition,  finally  turned  the 
former  high  earnings  into  a  direct  loss,  and  the  line  was 
abandoned. 

In  the  two  decades  following  the  construction  of  the 
*'  Grand  Erie,"  Its  feeders,  and  the  lateral  canals,  as  has 
been  shown,  lake  traffic  was  wonderfully  stimulated,  and 
it  came  about  largely  by  these  means.  An  ever-increas- 
ing commerce  originating  far  inland  poured  through  the 
artificial  waterways  to  various  ports,  and  as  the  aggre- 
gate of  the  needful  commodities  largely  exceeded  the 
demands  of  local  consumption,  a  great  quantity  found  its 
way  by  the  lake  shipping  to  distant  ports  and  beyond  the 
waterways  tributary  to  the  lakes.    The  Erie  Canal,  which 


"Rabbit"   towing  schooner  on   St.  Clair  River 


^ 


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m 


«t.IS.HtX.b„ 


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The  R.    N.    Rice 


PROSPEROUS   TIMES  147 

was  completed  upon  the  scale  originally  planned,  In  1825, 
was  the  first  In  importance.  After  the  first  few  years  of 
its  operation,  In  which  practically  all  of  Its  east-bound 
traflfic  originated  at  Bufifalo,  the  commerce  of  the  sections 
through  which  it  passed  for  nearly  four  hundred  miles, 
and  In  fact  Its  terminal  ports,  expanded  to  a  surprising 
degree.  Three  north  and  south  canals  connecting  Lake 
Erie  with  the  Ohio  River  were  also  great  stimulating 
influences  to  broader  trade,  and  the  lake  shipping  nat- 
urally profited  by  it.  Farm  lands  easily  accessible  to  the 
canals  were  opened  up,  and  produced  increasing  quanti- 
ties of  grain  and  produce  which,  by  way  of  the  canals  and 
lake,  reached  the  markets  in  the  East.  The  Illinois  and 
Michigan  Canal  to  Chicago  likewise  added  a  considerable 
traffic  for  a  number  of  years,  and  In  this  the  through 
vessel  lines  profited. 

The  Erie  Canal  and  its  branches  also  contributed  a 
large  volume  of  commerce  to  Lake  Superior  and  the 
Northwest.  Just  as  the  main  current  of  immigration  had 
gradually  extended  and  broadened  out  along  the  distant 
shores  of  Lake  Michigan  and  Lake  Superior,  so,  too, 
the  swift  currents  of  freight  traffic  of  a  vast  territory 
were  drawn  to  the  great  water  highway  of  the  Great 
Lakes.  Its  magnetic  tentacles  of  cheap  transportation 
reached  out  In  all  directions  and  wherever  a  rich  and  pro- 
ductive section  was  tapped,  bulky  merchandise,  coarse 
and  raw  materials,  and  farm  products  were  drawn 
through  the  connecting  waterways  to  the  main  channel, 
and  hurried  on  to  the  markets  of  the  country.  Re- 
gions as  far  distant  as  Louisiana  contributed  large  ship- 
ments of  molasses,  by  reason  of  the  rapidly  increasing 
market  of  the  North,  which  was  due,  in  turn,  by  virtue  of 
the  transportation  facilities  afforded  by  the  Great  Lakes. 
Missouri,  In  1845,  shipped  47,170  pounds  of  lard  oil 
to  the  lake  trade;  and  Kentucky  610,415  pounds  of  hemp, 
which  reached  the  lakes  by  the  way  of  the  Wabash  and 
Erie  Canal,  at  Toledo.     In  return  for  these  and  many 


148  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

other  commodities  shipped  to  the  northeast  sections  of 
the  country,  the  manufacturing  towns  of  Massachusetts 
and  other  Eastern  States  sent  out  to  the  lake  region  their 
manufactures  and  general  articles  of  trade. 

The  trend  in  shipbuilding  for  a  few  years  after  1850 
was  toward  great  expansion  in  size  and  speed  of  the 
steamers;  and  a  notable  advance  was  made  in  the  deco- 
ration and  embellishment  of  the  cabins,  staterooms,  and 
general  furnishings.  They  were  finely  modelled  vessels, 
stanch  and  seaworthy,  with  broad  cabins  and  decks,  afford- 
ing increased  freedom  to  the  passengers.  Within  the 
cabins  and  staterooms,  they  were  veritable  palaces,  after 
ideas  prevailing  at  the  time,  and  they  were  everywhere 
greeted  as  the  leviathans  of  the  lakes.  A  feature  was  the 
extension  of  the  joiner  work  on  the  forward  main  deck 
to  the  stem  of  the  vessel,  all  the  steamboats  to  that  time 
having  been  open  forward  of  a  point  about  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  from  the  wheel-boxes. 

Among  the  first  of  these  large  steamboats  the  Empire 
State,  Northern  Indiana,  and  Southern  Michigan  were, 
perhaps,  the  best  known  and  most  patronized  because 
of  their  excellent  service.  They  were  operated  In  connec- 
tion with  a  competing  line  to  the  Michigan  Central,  ex- 
tending westward,  which  some  years  after  was  absorbed 
in  the  Lake  Shore  system ;  and  it  secured  a  considerable 
share  of  the  rapidly  increasing  business.  The  steamers 
were  uniform  In  size,  machinery,  and  general  fittings, 
measuring  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  thirty-six  feet,  ten 
inches  beam,  and  thirteen  feet,  seven  inches  depth  of  hull. 
They  were  equipped  with  powerful  engines  of  the  beam 
type,  having  cylinders  seventy-two  inches  in  diameter  and 
twelve  feet  stroke,  and  were  the  largest  yet  built  for 
lake  steamers.  The  Northern  Indiana  met  an  untimely 
end  a  few  seasons  later,  being  burned,  with  a  loss  of  fifty- 
six  lives. 

There  were  built  at  Buffalo,  in  1853,  for  the  Detroit 
route,    the    steamboat    Crescent    City,  —  three    hundred 


\ 


PROSPEROUS   TIMES  149 

and  tw'enty  feet  in  length,  thirty-nine  feet,  six  inches 
beam,  and  fourteen  feet  depth,  —  and  the  Queen  of  the 
West,  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  in  length, 
forty  feet  beam,  and  fourteen  feet,  seven  inches  depth. 
These  splendid  steamers  were  a  further  step  in  size  and 
tonnage,  the  engines  having  cylinders  eighty  inches  in  di- 
ameter by  twelve  feet  stroke.  The  same  year  there  came 
out  from  the  Buffalo  shipyard  the  steamboat  Mississippi, 
registering  eighteen  hundred  and  twenty-nine  tons,  and  a 
sister  ship,  the  St.  Lawrence.  In  size  they  were  slightly 
larger  than  the  other  two,  and  their  engine  cylinders  were 
of  two  inches  larger  bore,  with  the  same  stroke.  They 
plied  on  Lake  Erie  between  Buffalo  and  Sandusky,  a  route 
much  in  favor  for  passengers  and  merchandise  to  and 
from  the  interior  of  Ohio. 

In  1853  Captain  Harry  Whitaker  applied  for  a  pat- 
ent on  a  mechanical  appliance  for  the  direct  application 
of  the  crank  outside  the  hull  to  side-screw  propellers. 
This  was  granted  on  October  18,  1853,  and  two  years 
later  the  principle  was  first  applied  to  the  steamer  Baltic, 
which  was  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  feet  in  length, 
thirty  feet  beam,  and  twelve  feet  depth  of  hull.  In  1854 
the  steamboat  North  Star  came  out  from  the  Cleveland 
shipyard,  measuring  two  hundred  and  seventy-four  feet 
In  length,  thirty-four  feet  beam,  and  eleven  feet  depth,  and 
registering  eleven  hundred  and  six  tons.  After  eight  years 
of  profitable  service  the  North  Star  was  burned  in  Cleve- 
land in  1862.  It  will  remain  an  interesting  fact  in  the 
annals  of  the  lake  marine  that  this  steamboat  was  the 
first  to  attain  a  recorded  speed  of  sixteen  miles  an  hour. 

A  daily  line  had  been  established  in  1853  to  operate 
between  Chicago  and  Milwaukee,  and  soon  after  a  steamer 
was  put  on  the  route  from  Chicago  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie. 
However  profitable  they  may  have  proved,  competing 
lines  In  strong  opposition  started  up,  and  for  a  time  the 
traffic  on  Lake  Michigan  was  more  than  amply  accommo- 
dated.   It  seemed  to  be  the  pervading  spirit  of  the  period 


ISO  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

to  let  no  line  or  combination  of  steamers  enjoy  a  profit- 
able business  unmolested.  Other  vessel  owners,  envious 
of  the  prosperity  of  established  lines,  were  sure  to  run 
their  steamers  in  active  competition,  and  in  a  short  time, 
by  cutting  of  rates,  ruin  the  business  for  any  or  all  of 
them.  An  equitable  division  and  adjustment  of  routes 
and  established  rates  of  the  old  lines  to-day  results  in 
much  good  to  the  shipping  and  the  public  at  large;  and 
seldom  do  outsiders,  so  to  speak,  break  in  to  grasp  a  share 
of  what  is  now  regarded  the  rightful  heritage  of  the  many 
years'  effort  spent  in  building  up  patronage.  When  they 
do  the  result  is  nearly  always  disastrous  to  the  invaders, 
and  a  considerable  loss  to  the  defenders. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   BEGINNING  OF   RAILROAD   COMPETITION 

Broadening  of  Commerce  —  Influence  of  Cheap  Transportation  on 
Prices  of  Food  Stuffs  to  Consumer  —  Railroads  become  Strong 
Competitive  Force  —  Trunk  Lines  Formed  —  The  Michigan  Central 
Liners  —  Western  World  and  Plymouth  Rock  —  Not  Profitable  —  Sold 
and  Dismantled  —  Decline  of  Lake  Traffic  —  Opening  of  St.  Mary's 
River  Canal  and  Locks  —  Its  Influence  upon  the  Development  of 
the  North  Country  —  Copper  and  Iron  Deposits  Opened  —  Vessels 
Leave  Lakes  for  Coast  and  Foreign  Trade. 

CONSIDERED  as  a  whole  in  the  viewpoint  of 
to-day,  the  commerce  of  the  Inland  Seas  is  mainly 
a  growth  of  the  last  fifty  years ;  and  its  beginning,  as  has 
been  shown,  may  be  traced  to  a  definite  series  of  events 
occurring  in  the  decade  preceding  the  Civil  War.  The 
trade  of  the  country  bordering  on  the  lakes,  and  naturally 
that  of  the  cities  and  towns  which  form  its  ports,  has 
long  ceased  to  be  of  a  local  character.  The  great  natu- 
ral highway  of  the  lakes,  and  the  artificial  channels  con- 
necting them,  belong  no  longer  to  the  States  whose  shores 
are  continually  laved  by  their  pure,  clear  waters.  For 
eight  months  of  the  year  its  shipping  carries  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  commerce  of  America,  the  aggregate  of 
which  is  greater  by  far  than  that  of  any  other  waterway 
in  the  world.  It  exerts  a  vital  influence  in  the  industrial 
life  of  one  great  nation;  and  a  growing  and  important 
influence  in  the  expansion  of  the  provinces  to  the  north, 
and  the  development  of  the  vast  territory  of  the  North- 
west. 

The  Great  Lakes  have  long  since  risen  above  the  na- 
tional lines  of  commerce,  for  they  are  giving  cheap  food 


152  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

to  populous  Europe.  The  through  water  route  from  the 
head  of  the  lakes  to  tide-water,  offers  a  carrying  rate 
on  wheat  and  other  grains  so  much  less  than  is  possible 
by  an  all-rail  or  part  rail  and  water  route,  that  the  very 
needful  commodities  are  laid  down  upon  foreign  shores 
at  a  cost  which  effects  a  large  saving  in  the  consumer's 
bill.  They  are  making  possible  an  industrial  expansion 
of  the  most  momentous  character.  They  carry  in  their 
shipping  the  raw  materials  and  deliver  it  at  terminal  ports 
by  mechanical  means  at  surprisingly  small  cost;  they  fur- 
nish the  water  power  at  several  points,  which  is  used  in 
the  processes  of  manufacture;  and  then  they  transport 
the  finished  product  to  large  centres  of  population,  or 
by  way  of  the  canals  to  the  seaboard.  From  there  the 
exports  reach  out  to  every  country  of  the  world,  and  the 
initial  cheapness  of  lake  transportation  must  have  a  bear- 
ing on  the  ultimate  price  of  the  article  to  the  consumer. 

Then,  too,  the  Great  Lakes  offer  to  the  tourist  a  never- 
ending  panorama  of  uniform,  clean,  and  beautiful  shores, 
the  water  fronts  of  great  cities,  engineering  works  of 
great  magnitude,  beetling  crags  and  pictured  rocks  with 
great  caverns,  and  withal  the  most  interesting  marine  to 
be  found  anywhere.  It  is  all  a  most  vivid  reality;  as 
one  noted  traveller  has  remarked,  "  In  all  the  world  there 
is  no  trip  like  this." 

But  it  was  not  always  so,  for  the  development  of  any 
movement  of  such  vast  proportions,  to  be  of  a  permanent 
nature  and  ever  increasing  by  its  very  momentum,  must 
by  the  nature  of  things  spread  over  a  goodly  number 
of  years.  This  development  includes  much  of  romance 
of  the  fresh-water  seas  in  which  the  shipping  —  its  rise  and 
progress  and  its  appeal  to  full-blooded  Americans  —  Is 
intimately  interwoven.  These  features  arc  of  the  utmost 
interest,  and  the  human  side  of  the  inland  navigation  will 
be  dwelt  upon  as  the  narration  unfolds. 

While  the  vessel  owners  of  the  lakes  were  actively  en- 
gaged in  fostering  the  inland  waterway  traffic,  and  the 


RAILROAD  COMPETITION  153 

shipbuilders  were  turning  out  larger  and  more  magnifi- 
cent steamboats  and  more  capacious  propellers  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  growing  commerce,  other  interests  were  at 
work  to  thwart  these  ambitious  plans  of  monopoly.  The 
competitive  influence  of  the  iron  trail  was  not  felt  by- 
lake  shipping  while  the  short  and  disconnected  lines  were 
being  extended  inland  from  the  lake  ports.  In  fact,  the 
the  first  effects  of  railway  building  were  highly  beneficial 
to  the  waterway  traffic,  as  the  railway  developed  the  un- 
settled counties  beyond  the  lake  frontier,  and  naturally 
fed  the  lake  tonnage.  The  first  locomotive  to  cross  the 
prairies  of  western  Illinois  was  brought  to  Chicago  from 
the  East  by  a  sailing  vessel.  This  was  in  1837,  and  from 
that  port  the  rail  lines  extended  their  conquest  west 
and  south  through  fertile  lands.  Railway  construction 
brought  additional  traflic  to  the  lakes  in  the  transporta- 
tion of  iron  rails,  supplies,  and  the  equipment  of  loco- 
motives and  cars. 

But  once  having  started  there  was  no  cessation  in  the 
advance  of  the  railroad,  and  there  came  a  time  when  the 
maze  of  the  iron  rail  encroached  on  the  well  established 
traffic  of  the  lakes  and  sought  to  share  in  the  east  and 
west  bound  trade.  It  paralleled  the  canals  and  branches, 
and  early  In  the  fifties  the  lakes  themselves  were  bound 
together,  so  that  locomotives  of  the  prevailing  type  with 
the  huge  balloon  stacks,  ran  from  the  shores  of  Lake 
Ontario  and  Lake  Erie  through  to  the  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan.  It  even  then  had  begun  to  gridiron  the  whole 
inhabited  land.  The  Great  Lakes  could  no  longer  of^er 
the  only  means  of  easy  communication  between  the  princi- 
pal ports  of  the  lower  lakes  and  beyond  to  the  East,  and 
the  shipping  interests  thereon  reluctantly  gave  up  a  por- 
tion of  the  traffic. 

The  first  entry  of  the  railway  into  active  competition 
with  the  lake  shipping  was  marked  by  the  completion  of 
the  line  extending  across  the  northern  portion  of  Ohio, 
between  Cleveland  and  Toledo.    This  took  place  in  1852 


154  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

and  established  by  its  connection  with  the  Lake  Shore  at 
Cleveland  a  through  route  with  the  New  York  Central  to 
the  Hudson  and  New  York.  Westward  from  Toledo  It 
connected  with  the  Southern  Michigan  and  the  Northern 
Indiana  railways,  thus  forming  a  continuous  line  to  Chi- 
cago. These  separate  and  distinct  railroads  for  many 
years  have  comprised  the  main  line  of  the  Lake  Shore  sys- 
tem, which  is  a  part  of  the  New  York  Central  Lines. 
From  the  beginning  these  individual  roads  exerted  a 
powerful  Influence  on  the  east  and  west  bound  traffic. 
They  parallel  the  waterways  for  a  distance  of  one  thou- 
sand miles;  they  traverse  a  rich  and  productive  coun- 
try; and  they  join  with  their  six  tracks  the  two  cities  of 
greatest  commercial  importance  with  other  prosper- 
ous communities  which  originate  In  themselves  a  vast 
commerce. 

The  second  blow  to  the  prestige  of  the  Great  Lakes  as 
a  monopolistic  highway  was  struck  when  the  Great  West- 
ern Railway  of  Canada  completed  its  line  to  the  Detroit 
River.  For  several  years  It  had  been  building  through 
the  rich  country  of  southwestern  Ontario,  and  In  1854 
It  reached  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  countries 
at  Windsor,  across  the  river  from  Detroit.  It  formed 
another  competing  line  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago,  and  It 
was  not  long  before  traffic  arrangements  were  so  perfected 
as  to  change  the  current  of  commerce  from  water  to  land. 
The  passenger  traffic  was  first  affected  because  of  the 
quicker  time  afforded  by  the  railroads,  and  gradually 
heavy  inroads  were  made  in  the  shipment  of  produce  of 
a  perishable  nature,  and  meats,  for  the  same  reason. 
When  navigation  closed  the  lake  shipping  lay  idle  for 
four  months  or  more  while  the  highways  of  the  lakes 
were  ice-bound,  and  the  all-year  rail  routes  strengthened 
their  hold  on  the  shippers  by  this  handicap  to  the  vessel 
owners.  A  third  and  quite  Important  blow  to  the  lake 
shipping  was  the  almost  entire  cessation  of  immigration. 
Altogether  these  causes  effected  a  diversion  of  a  large 


RAILROAD    COMPETITION  155 

proportion  of  the  commerce  from  the  lakes  to  the  rail- 
roads, and  for  some  years  the  vessel  interests  suffered. 

That  the  shippers  realized  the  handicap  of  winter  to 
their  operations  and  appreciated  the  advantage  thus  given 
the  railroads,  is  evident  in  the  almost  frantic  efforts  of 
the  Lake  Erie  navigators  to  hold  the  passenger  business 
between  Detroit  and  Buffalo.  In  the  Winter  of  1852-53, 
when  the  competition  of  the  lake  shore  railways  was  first 
felt,  they  maintained  a  line  of  stages  through  Ontario,  by 
the  way  of  Chatham,  London,  and  Hamilton,  The  trip 
took  three  days  and  the  fare  was  twelve  dollars,  including 
ferriage  at  both  ends.  The  mails  were  carried  by  this 
route  in  separate  conveyances.  When  the  Great  Western 
Railway  was  completed  the  stage  route  was,  of  course, 
abandoned.  In  1855  the  lake  rates  opened  at  eighteen 
cents  a  bushel  on  wheat  from  the  upper  lakes  to  Buffalo, 
but  a  little  later  fell  to  sixteen  cents.  The  receipts  of  all 
grain.  Including  flour  as  wheat,  at  Buffalo,  by  both  water 
and  rail  that  year,  amounted  to  24,472,278  bushels.  As 
the  carrying  rate  was  gradually  reduced  the  older  and 
smaller  sailing  vessels  gave  way  to  the  new  and  stanch 
brigs  and  schooners,  whose  white-wings  everywhere 
dotted  the  lakes.  For  a  like  reason  the  larger  steamboats 
of  good  speed,  but  costly  of  operation,  gave  up  much  of 
the  package  freight  shipments,  when  time  was  not  an 
Important  factor,  to  the  slower  propellers,  which  could 
be  operated  at  much  less  expense.  All  told  the  large  and 
splendid  steamboats  of  this  decade  suffered  far  greater 
Inroads  In  their  established  traffic,  than  any  other  type 
of  vessel. 

The  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  which.  It  will  be  re- 
membered, operated  a  line  of  fast  steamers  between 
Monroe  and  Buffalo  In  connection  with  their  rail  route 
westward  to  Chicago,  must  have  viewed  the  rising  com- 
petition with  misgivings;  but,  with  the  true  spirit  of 
the  time,  they  were  not  to  be  outdone  by  their  rivals  for 
the  established  traffic.     By  1853  they  were  face  to  face 


156  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

with  three  main  competitive  forces.  The  first  was  com- 
posed of  the  other  lake  lines  which  were  more  aggressive 
than  ever;  the  second  was  the  new  and  powerful  lake 
shore  lines  of  railroad;  and  the  third  was  the  approach- 
ing completion  of  the  Great  Western  Railway  through 
Canada.  The  railroad  competition  must  have  offered  the 
greatest  problem  to  combat,  while  the  competition  of  their 
kind,  so  far  as  the  water  route  was  concerned,  could  in  a 
degree  be  fought  with  their  very  weapons.  This  meant 
a  heavy  outlay  of  money  and  considerable  risk,  but  they 
at  once  adopted  a  scheme  of  shipbuilding  which  was  the 
marvel  of  the  marine  world. 

In  1853  the  largest  steamer  of  the  Michigan  Central 
fleet,  which  has  already  been  described,  was  in  size  and 
equipment  much  inferior  to  the  late  modern  steamers  of 
the  rival  line  in  the  western  trade.  The  new  leviathans 
were  of  about  forty  feet  greater  length,  and  five  feet  more 
of  beam  than  the  May  Floiver,  and  they  had  several 
miles  an  hour  greater  speed.  They  were  much  more  ele- 
gantly furnished  and  their  excellent  service  and  reliability 
rendered  them  the  most  popular  steamers  plying  on  Lake 
Erie.  To  win  back  the  favor  of  the  travelling  public 
the  railroad  had  built,  during  the  Winter  of  1853-54, 
two  mammoth  steamers  of  a  size  and  magnificence  which 
far  surpassed  the  most  extravagant  ideas  of  v-essel  owners 
and  mariners  of  the  time.  The  sister  ships  were  named 
the  Western  JVorld  and  the  Plymouth  Rock,  and  it  is 
entirely  within  the  limits  of  fact  to  state  that,  for  forty 
years  after,  no  passenger  steamers  were  built  on  the  lakes 
or  were  operated  on  the  water  highways,  which  equalled 
these  splendid  ships  in  size  or  luxury  of  appointments. 
Not  until  the  steamer  Christopher  Columbus  appeared 
in  1893,  was  the  palm,  according  to  these  specifications, 
wrested  from  them,  or  more  properly,  from  the  memory 
of  them. 

The  steamer  JFcstern  JForld  was  three  hundred  and 
forty-eight  feet  in  length  of  deck,   forty-two  feet  beam. 


RAILROAD    COMPETITION  157 

seventy-two  feet  width  of  deck,  and  fourteen  feet  depth 
of  hull.  The  hull  of  white  oak  had  the  timbers  braced 
and  strengthened  with  iron,  thus  forming  four  water- 
tight compartments.  The  tonnage  was  two  thousand 
and  two,  and  the  cost  of  the  steamer  complete  was  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  engine  was  of 
the  prevailing  beam  type  for  side-wheelers,  with  cylinder 
eighty-one  Inches  in  diameter  and  of  twelve-foot  stroke, 
and  developed  one  thousand,  four  hundred  and  fifty  horse- 
power. In  point  of  size  the  paddle-wheels  were  notable, 
being  thirty-nine  feet  in  diameter  with  eleven-foot  buckets. 
The  JFestern  JVorld  and  the  Plymouth  Rock  operated 
this  line  for  three  seasons,  during  two  of  which  they  were 
supplemented  by  the  Mississippi^  which  for  some  years 
had  been  running  on  the  Buffalo-Sandusky  route. 

But  with  all  their  size,  speed,  and  splendor,  these 
steamers  were  too  large  and  costly,  and  entailed  too  great 
an  expense  of  operation  to  be  profitable  under  the  con- 
ditions of  the  traffic  during  these  years.  In  1857  they 
were  put  out  of  commission  and  never  again  did  they 
figure  in  the  commerce  of  the  Great  Lakes.  For  six  or 
seven  years  they  lay  tied  up  along  the  Detroit  River  front, 
until  in  1863  they  were  sold,  towed  to  Buffalo  and  dis- 
mantled. Their  engines  were  taken  out  and  shipped  in 
sections  to  New  York,  where  new  hulls  were  built  for 
them,  and  they  served  many  seasons  in  eastern  waters. 
The  cabins  were  taken  out  and  the  hulls,  still  new,  were 
towed  to  lake  ports  and  converted  into  drydocks.  The 
hull  of  the  IFestern  JFor'ld  ended  at  Bay  City  where  it 
was  in  use  until  1877;  the  hull  of  the  Plymouth  Rock 
met  a  similar  fate  at  Buffalo ;  while  the  Mississippi's  hull 
held  many  a  smaller  steamer  for  repairs  at  Cleveland. 

Despite  the  lessening  traffic  of  the  Great  Lakes  after 
1855,  two  other  large  steamers  were  built  in  1856  and 
1857.  One  of  these,  the  Western  Metropolis,  was  three 
hundred  and  twenty-one  feet  in  length,  thirty-nine  feet, 
ten   inches   beam,    and    fourteen    feet    depth,    and   was 


158  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

equipped  with  the  engines  from  the  Empire  State.  The 
other  was  the  City  of  Buffalo,  which  was  three  hundred 
and  thirty-one  feet  in  length,  forty  feet  beam,  and  fifteen 
feet,  eight  inches  depth  of  hull.  The  engine  was  the 
vertical  beam  type,  with  cylinders  seventy-six  inches  in 
diameter  and  twelve-foot  stroke. 

In  1857  there  were  on  the  lakes  one  hundred  and  seven 
side-wheel  steamboats,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  pro- 
pellers, and  one  thousand  and  six  sailing  vessels  of  all 
classes.  Among  these  in  regular  service  were  the  first 
Cleveland,  the  Traveler,  the  Michigan,  the  General 
Taylor,  the  Garden  City,  the  Concord,  the  Iron  City,  the 
Planet,  the  Dubuque,  the  Comet,  the  City  of  Toledo, 
the  Favorite,  the  Gazelle,  the  Queen  of  the  Lake,  the 
Sunbeam,  the  City  of  Cleveland,  and  the  Northern  Light. 
Some  of  these  steamers  were  in  the  Lake  Superior  ser- 
vice, plying  from  the  lower  lake  ports  and  Chicago  to 
the  rich  copper  country  of  the  great  inland  ocean. 

The  opening  of  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  canal  and  locks 
to  inter-lake  traffic,  affording  an  unbroken  navigation 
from  the  Atlantic  through  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and 
the  Great  Lakes  to  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  was 
a  relief  to  the  declining  and  unpromising  fortunes  of  the 
lake  marine.  By  this  new  connecting  waterway  it  was 
possible  for  the  first  time  for  a  vessel  nearly  one  hundred 
and  forty  feet  in  length,  twenty-six  feet  beam,  and  nine 
feet  draft,  to  pass  from  Montreal  to  Fort  William,  at 
the  western  end  of  the  inland  ocean.  The  largest  vessels 
then  afloat  on  the  lakes,  including  the  side-wheel  levia- 
thans of  broad  beam,  could  steam  from  Buffalo  and 
through  the  Sault  Canal  to  the  Superior  ports.  The 
vessels  from  tide-water,  however,  were  restricted  to  the 
size  of  the  Welland  and  the  St.  Lawrence  canals,  of  the 
dimensions  stated.  The  modern  commerce  of  the  upper 
lakes  may  be  said  to  date  from  this  important  event;  the 
renewed  prosperity  of  the  lake  shipping  was  due  directly 
to  it;   and  the  development  of  the  iron,  copper,  and  silver 


RAILROAD    COMPETITION  159 

mines  of  the  north  country  was  made  possible  by  the 
transportation  facilities  thus  afforded. 

The  Sault  Canal  and  locks,  which  from  their  opening 
have  exerted  so  great  an  influence  upon  the  commercial 
progress  of  a  large  territory,  were  built  by  the  State  of 
Michigan,  1853  to  1855;  and  the  works  were  gener- 
ally known  as  the  "  State  Canal."  The  canal  was  five 
thousand,  four  hundred  feet  long,  one  hundred  feet  wide 
on  the  water  surface,  and  thirteen  feet  deep.  There  were 
two  tandem  locks,  each  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long, 
seventy  feet  wide,  and  with  a  lift  of  nine  feet.  They 
were  opened  to  traffic  on  June  18,  1855,  with  the  passage 
from  the  St.  Mary's  River  to  the  upper  level  of  Lake 
Superior,  of  the  old  side-wheel  steamboat  Illinois.  The 
voyage  of  this  vessel,  which  was  much  larger  than  any 
that  had  ever  before  ploughed  the  waves  of  the  inland 
ocean,  was  one  continuous  series  of  ovations  from  the 
pioneers  of  the  ports,  who  hitherto  had  known  only  the 
small  sailing  vessels  and  the  occasional  steamboat  of 
small  dimensions  and  slow  speed. 

Although  the  presence  of  copper  deposits  at  numerous 
points  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior  had  been  known 
to  white  men  for  nearly  two  hundred  years,  the  metal  was 
of  little  value  in  the  arts  during  the  time  of  the  early  ex- 
plorations, and  nothing  was  done  to  secure  the  ore  for 
commercial  purposes  until  about  1843.  The  savages 
inhabiting  the  north  country  collected  and  used  large 
pieces  of  the  nearly  pure  metal  in  making  crude  hatchets, 
arrow  points,  and  knives.  In  the  "  Journal  du  voyage  du 
Pere  Claude  Allouez,"  in  the  Jesuit  "  Relacion "  for 
1666-67,  are  found  these  passages: 

"There  are  often  found  beneath  the  water  pieces  of  copper 
all  formed  and  of  a  weight  of  ten  to  twenty  pounds.  I  have 
seen  them  many  times  in  the  hands  of  the  savages;  and  as  they 
are  superstitious,  they  keep  them  as  so  many  divinities;  or  as 
presents  to  the  gods  beneath  the  water,  who  have  given  them 
as  pledges  of  good  fortune.     On  that  account  they  keep  the 


i6o  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

pieces  of  copper  enveloped  among  their  most  precious  furniture. 
There  are  some  who  have  preserved  them  for  more  than  fifty 
years,  and  others  who  had  them  in  their  famihes  from  time 
immemorial,  and  cherish  them  as  household  gods. 

"Up  to  the  present  time  it  is  believed  that  these  mines  were 
found  on  only  one  or  two  of  the  islands;  but  since  we  have 
made  a  more  careful  inquiry,  we  have  learned  from  the  sav- 
ages some  secrets  which  they  were  unwilling  to  reveal. 

"The  first  place  where  copper  occurs  in  abundance  after 
going  above  the  Sault  is  on  an  island  about  forty  or  fifty  leagues 
therefrom,  near  the  north  shore.  The  savages  say  it  is  a  float- 
ing island,  which  is  sometimes  far  off  and  sometimes  near, 
according  as  the  winds  move  it,  driving  it  sometimes  one  way 
and  sometimes  another.  They  add  that,  a  long  time  ago,  four 
Indians  accidentally  went  there,  being  lost  in  a  fog,  with  which 
this  island  is  almost  always  surrounded.  Wishing  to  cook  some 
food  they  made  use  of  their  usual  method,  taking  stones  which 
they  picked  up  on  the  shore,  heating  them  in  a  fire,  and  throw- 
ing them  into  a  bark  trough  full  of  water,  in  order  to  make  it 
boil,  and  by  this  operation  to  cook  their  meat.  As  they  took 
up  the  stones  they  found  that  they  were  nearly  all  of  them 
pure  copper. 

"But  further  toward  the  west,  on  the  same  north  shore,  is 
the  island  most  famous  for  copper,  called  the  'Minong  '  —  the 
good  place  (Isle  Royal).  This  island  is  twenty-five  leagues  in 
length;  it  is  seven  leagues  from  the  main  land,  and  sixty  from 
the  head  of  the  lake.  Nearly  all  around  the  island,  on  the 
water's  edge,  pieces  of  copper  are  found  mixed  with  pebbles, 
but  especially  on  the  south  side  where  there  are  shores  on  which 
are  to  be  seen  several  layers  or  beds  of  copper,  one  over  the 
other,  separated  or  divided  by  other  beds  of  earth  or  rocks.  In 
the  water  is  seen  copper  sand,  and  one  can  take  up  in  spoons 
grains  of  the  metal  big  as  an  acorn,  and  others  fine  as  sand.  .  .  . 
Advancing  to  the  lake  and  returning  one  day's  journey  by  the 
south  coast,  there  is  seen  on  the  edge  of  the  water  a  rock  of 
copper  which  weighs  seven  or  eight  hundred  pounds,  and  is  so 
hard  that  steel  can  hardly  cut  it;  but  when  it  is  heated,  it  cuts 
as  easily  as  lead." 

The  "Rclacion"  of  1670-71  contains  the  comment 
of  Pere  Ablon. 

"We  would  remark,  by  the  way,  that  copper  is  found  in  all 
parts  of  this  lake,  for  we  have  seen  plates  and  masses  of  this 
metal  which  weigh  each  a  hundred  or   two  hundred   pounds. 


RAILROAD    COMPETITION  i6i 

The  great  rock  of  copper,  of  seven  hundred  pounds,  and  which 
all  the  travellers  saw  near  the  head  of  the  lake,  besides  the 
quantity  of  pieces  which  are  found  near  the  shore  in  various 
places,  seem  not  to  permit  us  to  doubt  that  there  are  somewhere 
the  parent  mines  which  have  not  been  discovered." 

The  actual  exploitation  of  the  rich  copper  mines  of 
Lake  Superior  dates  from  the  opening  of  the  Sault  Canal, 
and  credit  is  generally  given  this  Important  waterway  for 
bringing  about  this  result,  and  also  for  its  influence  in 
furthering  the  shipment  of  iron  ore  from  the  upper 
Michigan  districts  to  lower  lake  ports. 

Like  the  discovery  of  copper,  the  first  knowledge  of 
the  existence  of  iron  In  the  north  country  came  through 
the  Indians.  In  1844  United  States  geologist  Charles 
T.  Jackson  obtained  from  a  trader  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie, 
a  fine  specimen  of  a  peculiar  Iron  ore,  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  an  Indian  chief.  He  also  learned  at  the 
same  time  that  this  chief  knew  of  a  mountain  mass  of 
the  substance  somewhere  between  the  head  of  Keweenaw 
Bay  and  the  headwaters  of  the  Menominee  River.  This 
great  deposit  was  soon  located  and  the  Jackson  Company 
was  organized  In  June,  1845,  to  operate  In  the  district. 
To  P.  M.  Everett,  one  of  the  original  Incorporators,  Is 
due  the  credit  of  being  the  pioneer  In  the  development  of 
the  hidden  treasures  of  Jackson  Mountain.  The  first 
opening  was  made  In  the  Fall  of  1846,  after  a  forge  had 
been  erected  on  Cary  River,  about  three  miles  east  of 
Negaunee.  The  forge  was  put  In  operation  early  In  1847, 
and  the  first  ore  mined  was  there  manufactured  into 
"  blooms."  The  first  blooms  were  sold  to  E.  B.  Ward, 
a  prominent  vessel  owner  of  the  time,  and  from  them 
was  made  the  walking-beam  for  the  steamboat  Ocean. 

Although  these  stimulating  Influences  to  trade  brought 
about  a  gradual  Improvement  In  traffic  conditions,  and 
the  greatly  Increased  field  of  operations  for  the  shipping, 
offered  by  the  opening  of  Lake  Superior  to  It,  were  hope- 
ful signs  of  renewed  activity,  the  aggregate  tonnage  was 


i62  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

still  excessive,  and  other  sources  of  business  were  sought 
at  the  eastern  end.  There  was  an  outlet  in  passing  ves- 
sels loaded  with  the  products  of  the  West  through  the 
canals  to  the  ocean,  and  a  trade  of  some  consequence 
was  thus  obtained.  It  was  not  an  untried  experiment, 
however,  for  in  1843,  ^^e  schooner  Dolphin  passed  down 
the  Ohio  Canal  from  Cleveland  to  the  Ohio  River  and 
thence  by  that  stream  and  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans. 
She  carried  a  cargo  of  whitefish,  with  which  the  lakes  were 
bountifully  stocked.  The  following  year  the  brigantine 
Pacific  took  a  cargo  of  flour  and  wheat  from  Toronto  to 
Liverpool.  In  1845  ^he  United  States  revenue  cutter, 
George  M.  Bibb,  left  the  lakes  for  New  Orleans;  and  in 
1847  the  cutter  Dallas  left  for  New  York.  The  barge 
Eureka,  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  sailed  from 
Cleveland,  in  1849,  during  the  height  of  the  excitement 
over  the  gold  discoveries,  for  California.  She  arrived  at 
her  destination  in  safety  with  fifty-nine  passengers  and  a 
full  cargo  of  supplies;  and  was  probably  the  first  vessel 
to  sail  from  an  inland  port  to  the  Pacific. 

The  first  steam  vessel  to  leave  the  lakes  for  ocean 
navigation  was  the  propeller  Ontario,  of  four  hundred 
tons,  which  sailed  from  Buffalo  for  San  Francisco.  From 
1850  to  1856  a  number  of  sailing  vessels  made  profitable 
voyages  from  Canadian  ports  on  Lake  Ontario  to  Eu- 
rope. The  steamer  Dean  Richmond  made  the  first  direct 
clearance  from  Lake  Michigan  to  Europe,  sailing  on 
July  19,  1857,  and  arriving  at  Liverpool  on  Septem- 
ber 29.  On  July  22,  1857,  the  bark  C.  J.  Kershaw 
left  Detroit  with  a  cargo  of  staves,  reaching  Liverpool 
on  September  5.  The  Madeira  Pet  sailed  from  De- 
troit for  Europe  the  same  year.  In  1858  fifteen  vessels 
with  cargoes  of  lumber,  staves,  wheat  and  other  grains, 
left  the  lakes  for  England;  and  in  1859,  sixteen  vessels 
entered  the  foreign  trade. 

In  i860  the  general  conditions  were  no  more  encourag- 
ing, and,  thirty-nine  vessels  passed  down  the  St.  Lawrence 


RAILROAD    COMPETITION  163 

River  to  the  seacoast.  That  year  the  number  of  side- 
wheelers  in  commission  was  small  compared  with  those 
running  in  1850,  while  the  number  of  screw  propellers 
steadily  increased.  This  type  of  steamer  was  largely  re- 
sponsible for  the  retirement  of  the  more  stately  steam- 
boats of  greater  speed,  and  the  smaller  sailing  vessels. 
With  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  the  commerce  of  the 
Great  Lakes  became  greatly  expanded  by  the  return  of 
industrial  prosperity,  and  an  increased  tonnage  was 
required. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

THE   UNITED  STATES  GUNBOAT  ITOLVERINE,   THE   FIRST 
IRON-HULLED    VESSEL 

Earliest  Use  of  Iron  in  Shipbuilding  —  The  Construction  of  the 
Gunboat  —  Description  —  Launch  —  First  Cruise  —  The  Mormons 
on  Beaver  Island  —  Assassination  of  King  Strang  —  Rebel  Invasion 
during  the  Civil  War  —  Its  Failure  due  to  the  Gunboat  —  The 
Fenian  Raid  and  Capture  of  Invaders  by  the  Gunboat  —  Service  in 
Recent  Years  —  Improved  Equipment. 

IN  the  naval  register  of  the  United  States,  from  the 
early  times  even  to  the  present,  there  appear  the 
names  of  many  vessels,  from  the  converted  yacht  to 
the  indomitable  battleship,  whose  fame  will  always  shed 
lustre  upon  the  achievements  of  the  navy.  Some  have 
been  fought  to  victory  in  conflict  with  the  world  powers 
on  the  high  seas;  others  have  been  lost  in  no  less  glorious 
defeat.  Some  have  won  renown  in  time  of  peace,  while 
still  others,  by  their  very  presence  at  opportune  times, 
have  preserved  the  peace  of  nations. 

Among  those  which  have  been  engaged  in  maintain- 
ing a  strict  neutrality  is  one  little  steamer  with  a  history 
—  a  record  for  long  and  continuous  service  —  that  has 
no  counterpart  in  the  annals  of  the  navy.  The  name, 
Michigan,  belonging  to  a  gunboat  and  registering  fourth 
class  among  the  warships  of  the  nation,  has  been  carried 
on  the  active  list  for  more  than  sixty  years.  Since  1905 
the  name  has  been  borne  by  a  great  modern  battleship 
of  the  first  class,  commissioned  in  1909.  The  gunboat, 
however,  is  still  In  service  bearing  the  name  JVolverhie, 
symbolical  of  the  State,  and  is  doing  patrol  duty  along 
the  chiin  of  Great  Lakes. 


FIRST    IRON-HULLED    VESSEL        165 

The  earliest  use  of  iron  in  shipbuilding,  either  for  the 
frame  or  sheathing,  was  in  18 16,  when  Thomas  Wilson, 
a  Scotch  boatbuilder,  at  Faskine,  Lanarkshire,  began  the 
construction  of  an  iron  vessel.  For  attempting  such  an 
innovation  in  the  well-established  practice  of  centuries, 
he  was  jeered  at  continually  by  the  simple  and  ignorant 
folk  of  the  countryside,  who  would  not  believe  that  iron 
being  heavier  than  water,  when  formed  into  a  water-tight 
vessel,  would  float  upon  it.  The  first  iron  vessel,  how- 
ever, named  the  Vulcan,  maintained  a  passenger  service 
on  the  Monkland  Canal  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
and  was  the  pioneer  of  the  iron  and  steel  merchant 
marine. 

The  United  States  steamer  Michigan  was  not  only 
the  first  iron  vessel  launched  in  the  fresh  waters  of  the 
Inland  Seas,  but  it  is  also  the  oldest  iron-hulled  ship 
afloat  in  the  world.  In  her  eventful  career,  far  ante- 
dating any  warship  in  commission  to-day,  and  which  in- 
cluded important  service  along  the  Canadian  frontier 
during  the  Civil  War,  there  has  been  witnessed  a  remark- 
able development  in  marine  architecture.  The  wooden 
sailing  vessels  of  stout  oak  frames  and  thick  plank  sheath- 
ing gave  way  to  steamers  of  iron,  and  later  that  type  in 
turn  gave  place  to  the  modern  steel  leviathans  of  to-day. 

It  was  on  September  9,  1841,  that  Congress  passed 
an  act  appropriating  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  "  for 
the  construction  and  armament  of  such  armed  steamers 
or  other  vessels  for  the  defence  of  the  Northwestern 
States,  as  the  President  thinks  proper,  and  as  may  be 
authorized  by  the  existing  stipulations  between  this  and 
the  British  government."  After  the  usual  official  delay 
and  when  extended  correspondence  had  determined  the 
status  of  an  armed  vessel  on  the  lakes  under  the  treaty 
rights  of  both  nations,  the  plans  for  one  wooden  vessel, 
to  be  propelled  by  steam,  were  drawn.  Before  these 
plans  were  approved,  however,  it  was  decided  to  change, 
without  official   explanation,   the   structural   material   to 


i66  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

iron.  With  such  delays  it  was  late  in  the  Spring  of  1842 
before  the  actual  plans  and  specifications  for  the  gunboat 
were  prepared;  but  the  contract  for  its  construction  was 
awarded  in  May  to  Stackhouse  and  Tomlinson,  of  Pitts- 
burg. The  Navy  Department  ordered  Naval  Constructor 
Samuel  Hartt  to  the  work  as  superintendent  for  the 
Government. 

The  templates  were  made,  and  the  keel,  ribs,  and  plates 
were  rolled  during  that  year  in  Pittsburg,  and,  with  the 
other  heavy  metal  parts  and  the  machinery  taken  down 
in  sections,  they  were  hauled  over  the  rough  post  roads 
through  the  almost  unbroken  wilderness  to  Erie,  then  a 
small  settlement  on  the  lake.  Here,  on  the  southern  shore 
of  the  inland  sea.  Lake  Erie,  the  vessel  was  put  together, 
the  engine  and  boilers  installed,  the  wooden  upper  works 
and  cabins  built,  and  the  rigging  set.  It  was  slow  work 
at  best  with  the  few  mechanical  means  at  hand  and  at  a 
place  far  removed  from  foundry  and  shop,  but  by  early 
winter  the  trim  iron  vessel  was  completed,  and  was  given 
the  name  Michigan,  by  President  Tyler. 

It  was  an  eventful  day  to  the  mariners  of  the  time, 
when,  on  the  fifth  of  December,  1843,  everything  was 
ready  for  the  launch.  The  occasion  was  not  lacking  in 
intense  human  interest  and  excitement  to  landsmen  as 
well,  since  even  in  those  days  of  enlightenment  there  were 
many  persons  who  doubted  the  buoyancy  of  metal  vessels, 
and  predictions  were  broadcast  that  the  iron  steamer 
would  not  float  when  launched  into  the  waters  of  the 
harbor.  But  when  the  last  blocks  which  held  her  on  the 
ways  were  knocked  away,  and  she  should  have  glided 
into  her  natural  element,  she  stuck  on  the  ways,  and  not 
until  night  did  she  launch  herself  —  without  the  assem- 
blage of  spectators.  Riding  majestically  and  In  perfect 
safety  upon  the  water,  the  gunboat  was  an  object  of 
pride  to  her  builders,  and  one  of  wonderment  to  the 
chagrined  prophets  who  had  predicted  disaster. 

The  Michigan,  or  rather  the  JFulvcriue,  is  one  hun- 


c 


h 


FIRST    IRON-HULLED    VESSEL        167 

dred  and  sixty-four  feet  long,  twenty-seven  feet  beam,  and 
her  draft  is  nine  to  eleven  feet.  The  hull  is  of  rigid 
strength  and  toughness  not  excelled  by  the  latter-day  sci- 
ence of  shipbuilding,  and  the  rolled  plates  of  her  sides  are 
of  a  quality  of  iron  almost  unknown  to-day.  It  is  of  the 
kind  called  "  charcoal-Iron,"  containing  a  percentage  of 
carbon,  somewhere  about  1.20,  which  is  considered  an  ex- 
cess in  modern  steel-making  practice.  The  plates  of  the 
old  steamer  are  exceedingly  tough,  yet  so  pliant  that  when 
she  strikes  a  rocky  bottom,  as  sometimes  happens  on  sur- 
vey duty,  the  metal  simply  gives  without  splitting.  They 
are  easily  sledged  out  straight  again  when  the  vessel  goes 
into  drydock.  The  structural  strength  of  the  old  gun- 
boat has  been  severely  tested  In  her  sixty-six  years  of  con- 
tinuous service;  and,  after  buffeting  the  storms  and  gales 
of  the  lakes  during  this  long  period,  she  is  still  good  for 
many  cruises. 

The  Michigan  always  carried  three  masts,  schooner- 
rigged,  although  originally  the  foremast  was  ship-rigged 
and  continued  so  until  after  the  Civil  War.  The  yards 
were  removed  and  the  topmasts  shortened  a  number  of 
years  ago,  and  no  dependence  is  now  placed  in  sails  as  a 
means  of  propulsion.  The  steam  power  is  applied  by  side 
paddle-wheels  placed  amidships,  between  which  rises  the 
rakish  smokestack.  Forward  of  the  stack  is  the  wheel- 
house,  which  originally  was  a  little  box-like  affair,  but 
through  successive  rebuilding  and  enlargement,  has  now 
almost  reached  the  proportions  of  an  upper-deck  cabin. 
The  bulwarks  are  high  like  the  warships  of  the  Civil  War 
period,  and  through  the  open  ports  during  those  ex^citing 
times,  there  grinned  as  wicked-looking  smooth-bores  of 
the  muzzle-loading  type  as  ever  were  fired  In  deadly 
conflict. 

The  battery  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  had  been  In- 
creased from  the  single  eighteen-pounder,  with  which  she 
was  launched,  to  one  thirty-pounder,  five  twenty-pounders, 
two  light  twelve-pounders,    and   six   four-pounders.      In 


i68  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

after  years  these  antiquated  Parrots  were  converted 
into  breech-loaders  and  rifled,  but  they  have  long  since 
been  relegated  to  the  museum  of  curiosities.  She  was 
also  armed  with  muskets  and  cutlasses,  in  the  days  of 
hand-to-hand  fighting  over  the  sides,  but  even  they  have 
been  replaced  by  modern  firearms.  The  present  arma- 
ment, if  such  it  can  be  termed,  consists  of  six  Driggs- 
Schroeder  six-pounders  of  the  rapid-fire  type,  and  two 
Hotchkiss  one-pounders,  and  although  small,  are  more 
effective  than  the  old  heavy  smooth-bores. 

The  original  engines,  which  still  propel  the  old  gun- 
boat at  a  speed  of  ten  to  twelve  miles  an  hour,  are  practi- 
cally in  as  good  condition  as  when  built.  They  are  of 
the  inclined  cylinder,  low-pressure  type,  with  the  piston 
rods  connected  by  intervening  rods  direct  to  the  main- 
wheel  shaft,  and  develop  about  five  hundred  horse-power. 
They  are  slow-acting  and  of  rather  a  cumbersome  de- 
sign, occupying  space  to  the  limitation  of  a  proper  boiler 
capacity.  The  original  steam  boilers  which  saw  so  many 
years  of  service  were  equipped  with  grates  for  burning 
wood,  of  which  there  was  a  great  abundance  along  the 
chain  of  lakes.  In  the  Winter  of  1892-93  the  old 
boilers  were  taken  out  and  two  Scotch  boilers  of  steel 
and  of  greater  steaming  power  and  provided  with  forced 
draft,  were  Installed.  These  are  still  in  excellent  condi- 
tion. In  the  early  days  the  steamer  carried  a  complete 
wrecking  outfit,  and  many  are  the  ships  she  has  saved 
from  disaster  by  her  timely  aid,  as  for  many  years  she 
was  the  only  vessel  so  equipped  on  the  marine  highway 
of  the  lakes. 

In  steaming  from  the  harbor  of  Erie  on  her  first 
voyage,  the  Michigan,  under  the  command  of  Comman- 
der William  P.  Inman,  was  piloted  by  Alexander  St. 
Bernard,  whose  reputation  as  a  skilled  navigator  was  well 
established  throughout  the  lake  region.  For  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century  he  navigated  the  "  Iron  steamer," 
as  she  was  then  known,  through  the  uncharted  channels 


FIRST   IRON-HULLED   VESSEL        169 

and  along  the  dangerous  shores  of  the  lakes;  and  the 
black-hulled,  three-masted  gunboat  was  everywhere  looked 
upon  as  the  vigilant  watch-dog  of  the  Canadian  frontier. 
When  coursing  through  the  St.  Clair  River,  the  pilot,  tall 
and  straight  in  blue  service  uniform  with  the  regulation 
brass  buttons,  was  in  his  own  country.  His  home  was  on 
the  bank  of  the  river  just  above  the  village  of  St.  Clair, 
and  adjoining  it  was  a  sawmill  with  its  boom  filled  with 
pine  logs  rafted  down  the  stream.  Near  by  was  a  dock 
piled  high  with  cord  wood  which  the  settlers  cut  in  clear- 
ing their  lands,  and  hauled  to  market  at  the  steamboat 
landing. 

There  was  no  steam  whistle  In  those  days  to  announce 
the  coming  of  the  "  Iron  steamer,"  but  the  noise  of  the 
paddle-wheels  churning  the  water  in  their  frantic  struggle 
with  the  swift  current  served  the  same  purpose.  Almost 
the  entire  population  of  the  settlement  turned  out  to  greet 
the  pilot,  and  stare  at  the  black  bulldog  of  the  lakes. 
The  sight  of  the  jaunty  marines,  the  loosely  uniformed 
sailors,  the  big  threatening  guns,  and  the  polished  brass- 
work,  at  close  range,  was  attractive.  While  the  vessel 
was  fueling  the  officers  strolled  through  the  apple  orchard 
to  the  farmhouse  on  the  hill,  where  they  were  regaled 
with  the  best  that  the  farm  afforded. 

Not  long  after  the  Michigan  was  commissioned  In 
active  service,  as  years  are  numbered,  she  figured  promi- 
nently In  the  rise  and  fall  of  a  kingdom,  and  the  assassi- 
nation of  the  king  within  the  boundaries  of  the  State 
whose  name  she  bears.  The  episode  of  King  Strang  and 
his  followers  fills  a  page  of  unusual  Interest  In  the  annals 
of  the  Great  Lakes  country.  The  home  of  this  large 
colony  of  Mormons  was  on  Beaver  Island,  the  largest 
of  a  group  of  Islands  west  of  Mackinac  In  the  northern 
part  of  Lake  Michigan.  In  1848  there  were  about  a 
thousand  Mormons  in  the  colony,  and  several  hundred 
fishermen  and  woodchoppers,  who  were  called  Gentiles, 
made  their  home  on  the  Island.     The  colonists  lived  in 


lyo  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

warm  and  comfortable  cabins  built  of  hewn  logs,  and 
they  worshipped  in  a  large  temple  of  the  same  rough 
material.  The  temple,  which  was  provided  with  a  stage 
and  a  movable  pulpit  built  on  trucks,  also  served  for  so- 
cial purposes  and  civic  meetings,  and  when  so  used  the 
pulpit  was  rolled  out  of  sight.  Polygamy  was  univer- 
sally practised,  but  the  code  of  strict  laws  governing 
temperance  in  all  things  was  rigidly  enforced.  Every 
Mormon  was  required  to  contribute  one-tenth  of  his  in- 
come for  the  support  of  the  schools  and  the  church.  A 
weekly  newspaper,  the  Northern  Islander,  was  published, 
and  for  a  time  the  colony  was  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

In  July,  1850,  Jesse  James  Strang,  who  had  been  rec- 
ognized as  the  spiritual  leader  of  the  colony,  was  crowned 
King  of  the  Mormons,  thus  becoming  the  temporal  ruler 
of  the  kingdom  of  Beaver  Island,  The  temple  was  then 
known  as  King  Strang's  Castle,  and  the  town  in  which  it 
was  located  was  named  St.  James,  in  his  honor.  The 
island  at  this  time  was  one  of  the  best  wooding  stations 
upon  the  upper  lakes,  and  was  a  regular  stopping  place 
of  the  gunboat  to  take  on  fuel. 

On  one  of  her  visits  to  the  island  the  fishermen  and 
woodchoppers  gave  the  officers  strange  accounts  of 
the  outrages  inflicted  on  them  by  the  king  and  his  fol- 
lowers. Like  the  Mormons  themselves  they  were  forced 
to  give  up  one-tenth  of  their  earnings  to  the  treasury  of 
the  kingdom,  and  those  who  refused  to  comply  with  the 
enactment  were  waylaid,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  beaten 
with  whips  on  their  bare  backs,  until  they  yielded.  The 
king's  lieutenants  committed  other  serious  misdeeds;  they 
robbed  the  mails,  they  forced  the  treasurer  of  Manitou 
County,  who  lived  on  the  island,  to  turn  over  the  public 
funds;  and  still  not  content  with  these  infringements  on 
government  protection,  the  king  conducted  a  private  mint. 
There  he  made  and  caused  to  be  put  in  circulation  counter- 
feit money  and  bogus  coin. 

On  the  evidence  of  such  a  condition  of  affairs  exist- 


FIRST    IRON-HULLED    VESSEL        171 

ing  within  the  bounds  of  a  peaceful  State,  King  Strang 
and  his  twelve  apostles  were  arrested  and  taken  to  De- 
troit for  trial.  Although  opposed  by  the  best  legal  talent 
of  the  time,  the  king  pleaded  his  cause  so  ably  that,  in 
spite  of  the  handfuls  of  counterfeit  money  from  his  mint 
that  accused  him,  he  and  the  apostles  were  released,  and 
they  returned  to  their  northern  home. 

Soon  after  this  affair  conditions  on  the  Island  became 
worse  than  ever,  and  the  king  hesitated  at  nothing  to  further 
his  ends,  for  his  success  in  evading  the  law  had  made 
him  confident  of  his  ability  to  escape  prosecution.  When 
matters  became  no  longer  bearable,  the  steamer  Michigan 
was  despatched  to  the  Island  for  the  express  purpose  of 
arresting  King  Strang  and  the  ringleaders.  Arriving  at 
the  Island  at  night  the  gunboat  entered  the  harbor  without 
being  discovered.  The  officers  and  a  detachment  of 
twenty  mariners  and  twelve  deputy  sheriffs  made  a  land- 
ing just  before  daybreak.  They  were  all  heavily  armed 
as  they  expected  a  desperate  resistance. 

After  a  long  and  careful  search  of  the  island,  which 
occupied  nearly  the  entire  day,  the  king  was  discovered 
In  hiding,  and  while  the  little  armed  force  was  beating 
through  the  brush  to  apprehend  the  other  leaders,  the 
pilot  conducted  the  prisoner  to  the  ship.  No  resistance 
was  offered  by  the  king  and  he  went  along  in  a  jovial 
mood,  joking  with  his  escort  on  the  way  to  the  wharf. 
As  they  entered  a  long  dark  lane  between  high  piles  of 
wood,  some  of  the  king's  enemies  sprang  out  from  cover 
and  fired  their  guns  point-blank  at  the  prisoner.  He  fell 
to  the  ground  mortally  wounded  and  died  soon  after. 
The  assassins  fled  to  the  ship  for  protection  from  the  fury 
of  the  Mormon  mob,  and  were  taken  to  Mackinac  and 
Imprisoned,  but  were  never  brought  to  trial. 

Although  the  tragic  ending  of  the  island  kingdom  took 
place  more  than  a  half-century  ago,  there  still  exist  many 
reminders  of  the  stirring  events.  The  principal  village, 
St.  James,  is  situated  near  the  north  end  of  Big  Beaver 


172  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

Island,  and  on  the  shores  of  Beaver  Harbor.  A  fine  road 
leading  into  the  interior  of  the  island  is  known  as  the 
King's  Highway;  the  largest  island  lake  is  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  while  a  trout  stream  running  through  a  ravine  is 
called  the  River  Jordan.  The  Mormon  temple,  like  the 
faith  itself  on  the  lake  island,  has  long  since  fallen  to 
decay,  and  only  charred  logs  and  a  few  stone  chimneys 
remain  to  mark  the  ruined  habitations  of  a  once 
prosperous  community. 

During  the  Civil  War  the  old  Michigan  was  the  only 
gunboat  or  armed  vessel  on  the  Great  Lakes,  and  she 
was  kept  busy  cruising  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie 
and  through  the  connecting  rivers  to  Lake  Huron.  In 
these  troublous  times  there  was  constant  danger  of  in- 
vasion and  raids  from  across  the  border,  and  more  than 
once  the  presence  of  the  gunboat  at  a  critical  time  pre- 
vented serious  complications.  In  1 864  the  rebel  refugees  in 
Canada  organized  to  invade  the  United  States  at  some 
convenient  point  along  the  frontier.  They  plotted  to  take 
possession  of  a  number  of  steamers  plying  on  Lake  Erie 
and  then  to  seize  the  Michigan.  Without  fear  of  attack 
on  the  water  they  would  fall  upon  the  garrison  on  John- 
son's Island,  in  Sandusky  Bay,  and  free  the  rebel  prisoners 
confined  there.  With  these  recruits  to  man  the  captured 
vessels  they  were  to  make  an  attack  on  Buftalo  and  other 
lake  cities. 

It  was  a  very  clever  plot  and  in  the  execution  of  it  the 
conspirators  started  well.  On  September  19,  1864, 
they  seized  the  steamer  Philo  Parsons,  while  on  her  regu- 
lar trip  from  Detroit  to  Sandusky,  and  at  Amherstburg, 
on  the  Canadian  side,  they  were  joined  by  about  thirty 
other  rebels  who  brought  on  board  a  quantity  of  arms 
and  ammunition.  At  Middle  Bass  Island  they  captured 
another  though  smaller  steamer,  the  Island  Queen,  to- 
gether with  twenty-five  Union  soldiers  who  were  surprised 
aboard  her.  Meanwhile  the  Government,  having  been 
informed  of  the  details  of  the  movement,  had  arrested 


FIRST    IRON-HULLED   VESSEL        173 

the  rebels  who  had  stationed  themselves  at  Sandusky 
to  aid  the  insurrection,  and  the  gunboat  Michigan's  decks 
were  cleared  and  the  guns  made  ready  for  action. 

The  steamer  Philo  Parsons,  with  the  rebel  leaders  in 
command,  entered  the  bay  very  cautiously,  but  at  about 
her  usual  time  so  as  not  to  excite  suspicion  of  the  United 
States  authorities,  and  advanced  slowly  until  within  a 
mile  of  the  Union  gunboat.  They  had  expected  signals 
from  the  shore,  but  seeing  none  such  as  had  been  agreed 
upon,  they  became  suspicious  and  turned  back.  Putting 
on  all  steam  and  driving  the  engine  to  its  full  speed  they 
dashed  for  the  open  lake.  With  shell  and  canister  from 
the  gunboat  slashing  the  water  about  her  and  with  a 
few  shots  falling  on  her  decks,  the  little  passenger  steamer 
gradually  pulled  away  from  the  warship,  and  escaped 
around  Pelee.  They  pushed  on  to  Sandwich,  a  Canadian 
town  on  the  Detroit  River.  There  the  steamer  was  aban- 
doned, and  under  cover  of  night  the  conspirators  sought 
refuge  in  the  interior  of  Canada.  Thus  the  raid  ended 
rather  ingloriously  but  without  the  shedding  of  blood; 
and  the  peace  of  the  bordering  States  was  not  again 
threatened  from  outside  forces  during  the  continuance  of 
the  war.  The  Michigan  maintained  a  constant  patrol 
of  the  lake  and  river  and  In  a  measure  allayed  the  fears 
of  the  inhabitants  of  cities  and  towns  thereon,  of  inva- 
sion and  violence. 

After  the  Civil  War  was  ended  the  Fenian  raid  and 
invasion  of  Canada,  in  1866,  brought  the  old  gunboat 
into  further  prominence.  She  captured  the  Invaders  red- 
handed,  the  account  of  which  given  In  the  "  Army  and 
Navy  Journal,"  In  an  issue  of  the  time,  faithfully  nar- 
rates the  skirmishes  of  the  Invasion,  and  the  capture  of 
the  Fenians. 

"On  Thursday  May  31,  a  considerable  number  of  Fenians 
had  quietly  gathered  into  Buffalo,  calling  themselves  laborers 
bound  for  California.  At  about  half-past  two  the  next  morning 
they  had  collected  at  Black  Rock,  some  three  miles  north  of 


174  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

Buflfalo,  and  here  they  at  once  crossed  the  Niagara  River  by 
the  aid  of  two  tugs  and  four  canal  boats.  They  landed  safely 
under  the  green  flag  and  at  once  took  possession  of  the  ruins  of 
Fort  Erie,  just  at  the  place  where  the  lake  narrows  to  the  river. 
Their  number  was  somewhere  from  one  thousand  to  fifteen 
hundred.  Their  military  organization  consisted  of  four  regi- 
ments, the  Thirteenth,  or  Tennessee,  the  Seventeenth,  or  Ken- 
tucky, the  Eighteenth,  or  Ohio,  and  the  Seventh,  of  Buffalo. 
All  these  had  colonels,  and  the  whole  was  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  O'Neill,  formerly  known  as  having  enlisted  a  regi- 
ment for  the  rebels  of  such  of  our  soldiers  in  the  horrible  den 
at  Andersonville  as  preferred  dishonor  to  death. 

"This  crossing  had  been  successfully  concealed  from  the 
United  States  authorities.  At  embarking  in  the  Fenian  fleet 
the  men  received  arms  and  ammunition,  but  no  commissariat 
seems  to  have  been  organized.  They  at  once  cut  the  telegraph 
wires  leading  into  Canada,  tore  up  the  track  of  the  railway 
near  them,  and  advanced  westward  along  the  shore  of  the 
lake  toward  Port  Colborne,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Welland  Canal. 

"The  first  Canadian  force  to  come  into  actual  conflict  with 
the  Fort  Erie  Fenians  was  a  body  of  about  fourteen  hundred 
volunteers,  under  Colonel  Booker,  or  Buchanan,  which  had 
hastened  to  Port  Colborne;  while  another  force,  under  Colonel 
Peacock,  was  advancing  on  the  Fenian  rear,  up  the  Niagara 
River,  by  way  of  Chippewa.  Booker's  troops  met  O'Neill 
and  his  Fenians  about  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Satur- 
day, June  2.  O'Neill  was  advancing  westward  and  now  took 
post  at  Limestone  Ridge,  somewhat  less  than  half  way  from 
Fort  Erie  to  Port  Colborne.  There  was  a  sort  of  battle,  in 
which  —  though  there  are  various  reports  —  the  Canadians 
seem  to  have  despised  their  adversaries,  and  to  have  advanced 
in  pursuit  of  them  as  if  already  victorious,  when  the  Fenian 
line  was  merely  falling  back  to  rectify  an  error.  Many  of  the 
Fenians  are  veterans  of  the  Rebellion  and  not  to  be  discouraged 
in  a  charge,  so  they  charged  bayonets  in  their  turn  upon  the 
confident  Canadians,  and  very  easily  dispersed  them.  But  the 
losses  reported  were  only  six  killed  and  fifteen  wounded  on 
the  Fenian  side,  and  twenty-three  killed  and  wounded  on  the 
Canadian  side. 

"After  pursuing  the  beaten  Canadians  for  some  distance,  the 
Fenians  fell  back  toward  Fort  Erie.  They  had  impressed  some 
provisions  at  that  place,  but  their  supplies  quickly  fell  short, 
notwithstanding  what  they  could  find  in  the  vicinity.  More 
Canadians  were  coming  up  from  Port  Colborne;  Peacock's  force 
was  approaching  from  Chippewa;  the  Michigan  and  one  or  two 


to 


DQ 


FIRST   IRON-HULLED   VESSEL        175 

tugs  had  effectually  closed  the  Niagara  River  to  reinforcements. 
As  the  Fenians  approached  Fort  Erie  again  they  had  a  brush 
with  a  small  Canadian  force,  but  easily  dispersed  it;  and  at 
night,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  hunger,  the  Fenians  attempted 
to  escape  back  into  the  United  States.  Their  main  body  was 
promptly  captured,  with  the  tugs  conveying  them  on  scows, 
by  the  Michigan  ;  the  stragglers  and  pickets  were  left  on  the 
Canadian  side  and  were  taken  by  Colonel  Peacock's  force, 
which  went  into  camp  at  Fort  Erie;  and  the  left  flank  move- 
ment of  the  Fenian  invasion  was  over  and  a  failure,  and  its 
troops  were  prisoners  to  United  States  District-Attorney  Dart, 
though  in  the  immediate  charge  of  Captain  Bryson,  of  the 
Michigan.''^ 

Of  late  years  the  old  gunboat  has  become  an  object 
of  curiosity  wherever  she  cruises,  but  the  old  mariners 
of  the  lakes  look  with  a  kindly  regard,  bordering  on  rev- 
erence, upon  the  trim  pioneer  of  vast  fleets  of  iron  and 
steel  merchant  marine.  With  all  her  old-fashioned  rig, 
the  projecting  wheel-boxes,  and  the  small  guns  bristling 
from  her  ports,  she  presents  a  rather  pleasing  picture,  a 
reminder  of  the  departed  glories  of  the  old  navy.  All 
the  upper  works  of  wood  In  the  old  steamer  have  been 
renewed  from  time  to  time  so  that  she  Is  still  In  good 
cruising  trim. 

Until  a  very  recent  date  all  the  work  about  deck  was 
done  entirely  by  the  force  of  human  strength.  The  crew 
manned  the  capstan  whenever  the  anchor  was  weighed, 
or  less  frequently  when  the  ship  was  warped  about  or 
along  her  dock;  they  laid  hold  of  the  fish-falls  and  catted 
the  anchor;  they  grappled  the  boat  hoists  In  swinging  the 
yawls  and  cutters  In  the  davits;  they  operated  the  ash 
hoists  and  they  coaled  the  ship.  With  modern  equip- 
ments all  this  Is  changed.  A  steam  capstan  and  winches 
relieve  the  crew  of  the  bulk  of  heavy  manual  labor,  and 
speedy  steam  cutters  transport  ofiicers  and  men  to  and 
from  the  vessel  and  the  shore,  as  well  as  the  supplies  to 
the  ship. 

But  still  there  Is  plenty  of  work  for  the  sallorman. 


176  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

He  must  holystone  the  decks,  polish  all  the  bright  work, 
scrape  the  masts  and  spars,  and  keep  the  hull  In  a  state 
of  glistening  whiteness.  Besides,  there  are  always  special 
duties  and  assignments,  signalling,  and  messages  to  the 
shore,  and  watch  shifts  to  fill.  After  all,  the  "Jackie" 
is  a  busy  man  on  duty. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  navigation  season,  for 
a  number  of  years,  the  Wolverine  has  been  engaged  in 
special  survey  duty  along  the  chain  of  lakes  between  Buf- 
falo, Chicago,  and  Duluth,  recharting  the  channels  and 
dangerous  reefs  and  shoals.  More  recently  she  has  been 
detailed  to  the  recruiting  service  which  seeks  the  enlist- 
ment of  young  and  able-bodied  men  to  serve  in  the  navy. 
This  duty  takes  her  into  every  port  of  the  Great  Lakes, 
and  everywhere  she  calls  there  is  an  enthusiastic  welcome 
awaiting  her  officers  and  crew.  The  trim  old  craft  is 
usually  thronged  with  visitors  and  not  Infrequently  there 
are  some  who  recall  service  on  her  forty  or  fifty  years 
ago.  From  every  consideration  she  must  be  regarded  as 
of  the  utmost  historical  interest.  Her  calls  in  port  gener- 
ally result  in  an  increased  number  of  applications  for 
service  in  the  navy,  and  the  lake  States  have  become 
in  recent  years  the  best  recruiting  ground  in  the  country. 

When  the  winter's  ice  and  snow  checks  navigation, 
the  old  steamer  finds  a  safe  berth  in  Erie  Harbor,  and 
alongside  the  dock  where  she  has  tied  up  for  so  many 
years,  and  near  the  spot  where  she  first  dipped  into  her 
natural  element,  she  waits  the  coming  of  another  spring. 
The  officers  and  crew  remain  on  board,  and  with  light 
duties  and  few  cares,  idle  the  four  months  or  more  away. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

FROM    WOOD    TO    IRON 

First  Merchant  Vessels  of  Iron  —  The  Anchor  Liners  —  Wooden  Ves- 
sels STILL  Constructed  —  Popular  Steamers  and  the  Lake  Superior 
Service  — ■  Brigs,  Brigantines,  and  Schooners  Fast  Displaced  in 
Eighties  —  Converted  into  Tow  Barges  —  Success  of  Steam  Barge 
—  The  Cheapest  Carrier  —  Rabbits  —  Railroad  Liners  —  Enormous 
Profits  of  Steam  Tugs  on  Detroit  River  in  Late  Sixties. 

WHILE  the  good  warship  Michigan  was  cruising  for 
the  first  time  through  the  lakes,  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  natives  and  the  Inhabitants  of  the  ports,  another 
though  smaller  iron  vessel  was  being  put  together  at 
Oswego.  It  was  the  United  States  iron  propeller  Jeffer- 
son, built  in  1844,  of  material  rolled  at  Pittsburg,  and 
launched  in  Lake  Ontario  for  service  In  those  waters. 
Like  the  stanch  side-wheeler,  the  frame  and  plates  were 
hauled  over  the  rough  roads,  through  the  wilderness,  to 
the  shores  of  the  lower  lake,  and,  when  ready  for  sea, 
the  trim  little  screw  propeller  registered  three  hundred  and 
sixty  tons.  It  was  fitted  with  an  engine  of  Ericsson's 
model,  rated  at  one  hundred  and  twenty  horse-power, 
which  gave  the  propeller  a  speed  of  six  or  seven  miles  an 
hour.  There  was  also  built  at  about  this  time  a  small 
steam  sloop,  the  United  States  steamer  Alert,  which  had 
a  horizontal  propeller  and  Is  reputed  to  have  been  very 
speedy.  These  government  steamers  guarded  the  bound- 
ary line  along  Lake  Ontario  and  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
for  many  years. 

The  first  merchant  vessel  built  of  Iron,  and  flying  the 
British  flag  In  Canadian  waters,  was  the  steamer  Richelieu, 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  tons.    It  was  one  hundred 


lyS  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

and  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  was  put  in  service  In  1845. 
The  following  year  the  iron  steamboat  Caspian  was 
launched  in  Ontario  waters,  measuring  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  feet  in  length,  and  registering  nine  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  tons.  In  1847  the  paddle  steamer 
Hainilton,  one  of  the  first  of  the  Richelieu  Steamboat 
Company's  fleet,  was  built  for  service  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  and  was  of  nearly  the  same  register  as  the  Caspian. 
The  stCcLmer  Niagara,  built  in  1856,  was  of  three  hundred 
and  ninety-six  tons,  measuring  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
feet  in  length.  These  iron  steamers,  although  beyond  a 
half-century  of  continuous  service,  are  still  in  commission. 

Of  all  the  fresh-water  craft  built  prior  to  i860,  but 
few  remain  to-day  to  contend  for  a  share  of  the  present 
lake  commerce.  To  place  the  number  of  veterans  still  in 
sailing  trim  at  thirty,  would  probably  equal,  if  not  ex- 
ceed, a  true  estimate.  Aside  from  a  half-dozen  of  the 
Iron-hulled  vessels,  built  in  the  decade  of  1840-50,  the 
others  are  wooden  schooners  which  appeared  in  the  fifties. 
By  ones  and  twos  they  drop  from  service  and  find  a  final 
port  in  the  shifting  sands  and  soft  mud  of  some  marine 
graveyard,  in  the  end  mingling  their  bones  with  others  — 
all  that  remains  of  a  once  proud  merchant  navy.  In 
point  of  tonnage  they  are  not  missed,  as  they  are  small 
In  cargo  capacity,  ranging  from  one  hundred  to  four  hun- 
dred tons;  but  with  their  passing  much  of  the  romance 
and  picturesqueness  Is  lost  to  the  marine  panorama  of  the 
lakes. 

With  the  opening  of  navigation  in  i860,  however,  there 
were  along  the  entire  chain  of  Great  Lakes,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  steamboats,  of  an  aggregate  tonnage  of 
69,150;  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven  propellers,  of 
67,550  tons;  and  eleven  hundred  and  twenty-two  sailing 
vessels  of  all  classes,  with  a  carrying  capacity  of  252,125 
tons.  The  total  of  one  thousand,  four  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  vessels  had  an  aggregate  tonnage  capacity  of 
388,825,    and    constituted    a    merchant    marine    of    no 


FROM    WOOD    TO    IRON  179 

mean  proportions.  In  the  measure  of  values  of  the  time, 
the  lake  shipping  was  worth  about  six  million  dollars; 
and  the  value  of  the  commerce,  represented  by  the  freights, 
both  import  and  export,  approximated  sixteen  million 
dollars.  The  number  of  fresh-water  tars,  engineers,  and 
officers  of  the  marine  was  fully  fifteen  thousand. 

The  first  merchant  vessel  built  of  iron  under  the  United 
States  register  was  the  propeller  Merchant,  which  was 
launched  and  put  in  service  in  186 1.  It  was  of  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons'  burden  and  was  one  hundred  and 
ninety  feet  in  length,  twenty-nine  feet  beam,  and  fourteen 
feet  depth  of  hull,  costing  sixty  thousand  dollars.  After 
twenty  years  of  continuous  service  on  the  lakes,  this 
steamer,  which  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  old  Anchor 
Line,  was  wrecked  on  Racine  Reef  in  Lake  Michigan,  and 
proved  a  total  loss.  The  machinery,  however,  was  re- 
covered and  placed  in  a  wooden  steam  barge  then  building 
at  Marine  City,  named  the  A.  L.  Hopkins.  This  was  in 
1880,  and  the  barge  Is  still  In  commission.  In  1868  the 
same  line  built  at  Buffalo  the  steamer  Philadelphia,  of 
one  thousand,  six  hundred  tons,  which  sailed  the  lakes 
until  1893  when  It  was  lost  in  collision  with  the  steel 
steamer  Albany,  off  Point  Aux  Barques,  in  Lake  Huron, 
both  vessels  going  to  the  bottom  in  deep  water.  The  only 
other  Iron  vessels  built  during  this  decade  (1860-70) 
were  four  small  tugs,  ranging  In  size  from  eleven  to 
twenty-two  tons. 

In  Canadian  waters  during  this  decade  there  were  built 
two  Iron  steamers,  both  by  the  Richelieu  and  Ontario  Line. 
They  were  paddle  steamers  of  large  size  for  the  period, 
and  are  in  service  to-day.  The  Quebec  was  commissioned 
in  1865,  ^"*^  measures  two  hundred  and  eighty-two  feet 
in  length,  with  a  tonnage  of  two  thousand,  six  hundred  and 
fifty-six.  The  Canada,  although  smaller,  was  built  the 
following  year,  and  is  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  feet 
in  length  and  registers  one  thousand,  seven  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  tons.     The  name  of  this  steamer  was  changed 


i8o  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

some  years  ago  to  St.  Irenee.  In  1870  the  same  line 
added  the  iron  paddle  steamer  Berthier,  and  in  1871  the 
steamers  Chambly  and  Terrebontic,  and  the  Three  Rivers 
in  1874.  These  are  smaller  vessels  than  the  two  preced- 
ing, but  were  important  additions  to  the  fleet,  and  were 
used  principally  in  the  upper  St.  Lawrence  navigation, 
where  the  craft  were  restricted  in  size  to  the  limitations 
of  the  canals.  In  1875  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  had 
constructed  the  iron  paddle  steamer  Huron,  for  transport- 
ing cars  across  the  Detroit  or  St.  Clair  Rivers,  thus  con- 
necting their  lines  from  the  east  through  Canada  with 
those  stretching  toward  the  west.  This  car  ferry  Is  still 
one  of  the  fleet  operated  by  the  railway  between  Detroit 
and  Windsor. 

From  1870  to  1880  about  twenty  iron  vessels  were  built, 
flying  the  American  flag  on  the  Great  Lakes,  and  with 
few  exceptions  these  stanch  and  seaworthy  craft  are  still 
to  be  seen  at  intervals  in  the  principal  ports.  In  1871 
there  appeared  four  large  iron  steamers  of  the  submerged 
screw  type,  commonly  called  "  iron  propellers,"  of  one 
thousand,  two  hundred  and  forty  tons.  They  were  named 
the  Alaska,  China,  Japan,  and  India,  and  plied  between 
Chicago  and  Lake  Erie  ports.  Besides  having  a  large 
cargo  space  for  package  freight  and  grain,  they  were 
fitted  out  to  accommodate  the  best  class  of  the  travelling 
public,  and  for  many  years  the  line  has  enjoyed  a  large 
patronage.  Although  now  listed  in  the  obsolete  class 
these  famous  steamers  are  still  in  service.  It  is  doubtful 
if  any  four  steamers  contributed  more  to  the  popularizing 
of  lake  travel,  to  about  1890,  than  these  liners. 

During  1872  the  iron  steamers  Cuba  and  Russia  were 
built,  and  three  small  tugs,  while  in  the  following  year 
there  appeared  the  Arabia,  the  Arundel,  ami  one  tug. 
The  Cuba,  Russia,  and  Arabia  were  slightly  larger  and 
of  a  little  greater  tonnage  than  the  Japan  class.  In 
1874  the  steamer  Huron  was  put  in  service,  of  one 
thousand,  nine  hundred  and  forty-five  tons,  —  one  of  the 


FROM   WOOD    TO    IRON  i8i 

largest  on  the  lakes.  In  1879-80,  the  side-wheel  steamer 
Idlewild  and  the  propellers  Lehigh  and  Boston  were 
added  to  the  fresh-water  fleet.  I'his  retrospect  of  the 
iron-hulled  vessels,  covering  a  period  of  about  thirty 
years,  brings  the  chronicle  of  marine  progress,  so  far  as 
the  transition  from  wood  to  iron  is  concerned,  very  near 
to  the  advent  of  the  steel  ship,  which  has  revolutionized 
the  traflic  of  the  Inland  Seas. 

But  during  this  period  just  preceding  the  introduction 
of  steel  In  shipbuilding,  the  construction  of  wooden  ves- 
sels, to  be  propelled  either  by  wind  or  steam,  went  on 
apace.  The  use  of  wood  was  much  favored  by  the  old 
"  sea  dogs,"  and  for  this  preference  there  were  good  and 
plausible  reasons.  In  their  estimation  no  material  could 
take  the  place  of  the  traditional  white  oak,  nor  could  the 
keel,  ribs,  knees,  and  sheathing  be  made  so  strong  of 
any  other.  They  said  that  iron  was  cold  and  rusty,  and, 
being  so  heavy  as  to  sink  in  water,  it  would  never  be  much 
used.  These  views  were  strengthened  by  the  continued 
activity  of  the  shipyards  in  the  construction  of  wooden 
vessels  of  all  classes. 

For  a  few  years  preceding  and  during  the  Civil  War, 
the  steamers  Queen  City,  Arctic  No.  i ,  Lady  Elgin,  and 
Meteor  were  popular  vessels  in  the  Lake  Superior  trade. 
The  Lady  Elgin,  which  plied  between  Chicago  and  Mil- 
waukee, was,  perhaps,  the  most  largely  patronized,  and 
will  be  remembered  by  thousands  of  travellers  as  well  as 
others  who  did  not  take  passage  on  the  commodious  and 
comfortable  steamer.  It  will  never  be  forgotten  because 
of  the  terrible  marine  disaster  which  overtook  It  In  i860, 
with  a  loss  of  nearly  three  hundred  lives.  The  North 
Star,  Iron  City,  Lac  la  Belle,  Pewabic,  Northern  Light, 
Cohurn,  and  Meteor  figured  largely  In  the  trafl'ic  to  the 
upper  lake  ports. 

In  the  shipyards  of  the  lower  lake  ports  In  the  late 
sixties  and  during  the  decade  following,  many  wooden 
vessels  of  moderate  size  were  built  to  accommodate  the 


i82  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

increasing  commerce  of  the  lakes.     Among  the  steamers 
plying  in  the  local  trade  of  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Huron, 
were  the  Jay  Cooke,  the  Pearl,  the  Chief  Justice  JVa'ite, 
the  Dove,  the  Gazelle,  the  Susan  fVard,  the  Forest  Queen, 
the   George  L.   Dunlap,   the   John   Sherman,   the   Lake 
Breeze,  the  /.  L.  Hurd,  the  Phil  Sheridan,  the  Annie  L. 
Craig,   the   Benton,   and  the   George  L.    Clinton.     The 
steamer  Jay  Cooke  was  named  for  the  financier  of  the 
Civil    War,    who    occupied    "  Gibraltar,"    a    high    rocky- 
island  in  Put-in-Bay,  for  his  summer  home.     It  was  built 
in  1868,  and  plied  for  twenty  years  between  Detroit,  the 
Islands,  and  Sandusky,  making  daily  trips.     In  1888  the 
steamer  was  rebuilt  and  renamed  the  City  of  Sandusky, 
afterward   running   between   that    city   and   the    Islands. 
Seven  years  later  the  popular  old  steamer  was  dismantled, 
her  engines  placed  in  the  new  steel  vessel  Arrow,  and  her 
hull  consigned  to  a  watery  boneyard  in  the  Detroit  River. 
One  of  the  largest  and  most  popular  lines  operating 
between   Buffalo,    Cleveland,    Detroit,    and   Duluth,   was 
Ward's  Central  and  Pacific  Lake  Company,  which  was 
composed  of  ten  first-class  steamers,  making  five  depart- 
ures each  week  from  either  end  of  the  route.     The  large 
steamer  Keweenaw,  which  was  more  than  three  hundred 
feet  in  length  and  very  speedy,  was  built  in   1866,  and 
for  many  years  was   a   prominent   factor  in  this  trade. 
Other  well-known  steamers  were  the  Northwest,  the  Iron 
Sides,   the  Sea  Bird,   the   St.   Paul,   and   the   St.   I^ouis. 
A  competing  line  was  the  Union  Steamboat,  and  Atlantic, 
Duluth,  and  Pacific  Lake  Company,  which  operated  the 
steamers  fJlnslow,  Arctic  No.   2,  Pacific,   and  Atlantic. 
The  local  trade  of  Lake  Superior  was  well  cared  for  by 
the  Duluth  Lake  Transportation  Company,  which  ran  the 
steamers  Metropolis  and  Manistee  between  Duluth  and 
Marquette,   making  the  way  ports   in  semi-weekly  trips. 
The  side-vvhccler  Ivanhoe  ran  between  Houghton,  Han- 
cock,  and   L'Anse,  making  daily  trips  through   Portage 
Lake  and  Keweenaw  Bay. 


FROM    WOOD   TO    IRON  183 

The  service  from  Chicago  and  Milwaukee  to  Lake 
Superior  ports  was  rendered,  about  1870  to  1875,  by  the 
steamers  City  of  Madison,  Cuyahoga,  Ontonagon,  Nor- 
man, Mineral  Rock,  and  Peerless.  The  last  named 
steamer  was  a  most  popular  passenger  craft  on  this  route 
for  upwards  of  thirty  years,  but  was  finally  displaced  by 
a  modern  steel  leviathan.  The  Canadian  steamers  under 
the  British  flag,  ranging  in  size  from  four  hundred  to  six 
hundred  tons'  capacity,  which  were  engaged  in  the  Lake 
Superior  trade  from  Sarnia  and  the  Georgian  Bay  ports, 
from  1856  to  1872,  were:  the  Gore,  the  Plough  Boy,  the 
Rescue,  the  ColUngwood,  the  A I  go  ma,  the  JVaubuno,  the 
Manitoba,  the  Acadia,  the  Chicora,  the  Cumberland,  and 
the  Frank  Smith.  Of  these  the  Chicora  was  notable  in 
having  been  a  blockade-runner  in  the  Civil  War,  sailing 
to  Charleston,  S.  C.  It  was  rebuilt  in  Liverpool,  England, 
in  1864,  and,  after  the  war,  was  taken  to  Quebec,  cut  in 
two,  and  passed  through  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Welland 
canals  to  Buffalo.  There  it  was  rebuilt  and  put  on  the 
CoUingwood  line  in  1869.  The  engines  of  this  steamer 
were  marine  of  superior  workmanship  and,  if  the  accounts 
of  the  time  are  true,  afforded  great  speed. 

In  point  of  numbers  the  sailing  vessels  on  the  lakes 
reached  the  greatest  height  in  1868,  when  the  total  was 
one  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  fifty-five,  registering  a 
tonnage  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-four  thousand.  Al- 
though the  white-winged  schooners,  brigs,  brigantines, 
and  sloops  began  to  decline  in  force,  the  aggregate  carry- 
ing capacity  continued  to  increase.  This  was  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  new  shipping,  which  replaced  the  ves- 
sels shipwrecked  or  put  out  of  commission  by  reason  of 
old  age  or  unseaworthiness,  was  composed  of  much 
larger  units.  At  the  end  of  five  years,  or  1873,  the 
number  had  decreased  to  one  thousand,  six  hundred  and 
sixty-three,  but  the  tonnage  in  that  time  had  increased  to 
two  hundred  and  ninety-eight  thousand.  The  total  ton- 
nage of  all  classes  of  vessels,  including  steam  and  barge, 


i84  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

was  five  hundred  and  twenty-one  thousand,  embracing 
two  thousand,  six  hundred  and  forty-two  hulls. 

During  this  slow  constructive  period  there  appeared  a 
quaint  and  curious  lake  schooner,  the  three-master  with 
a  great  square  sail  on  the  foremast,  and  a  triangular 
"  raffle,"  sheeted  out  on  the  squaresail-yard  and  hoisted 
to  the  foretopmast  head.  This  was  a  combination 
never  seen  where  winds  blow  briny,  and  even  now  the 
fresh-water  breezes  know  it  no  more.  A  generation  ago 
the  lakes  and  connecting  straits  were  picturesque  and  gay 
with  this  interesting  type,  sometimes  beating  through, 
sailing  free  with  everything  set,  or  running  wing-and-wing 
before  the  wind  with  "  flowing  sheets  and  a  following 
sea."  Many  a  fortune  was  made  in  those  halcyon  days 
of  the  old  marine,  for  freights  were  fabulously  high,  and 
good  and  fast  schooners  often  paid  for  themselves  in  one 
or  two  seasons.  In  those  days  the  schooner  Levi  Rawson, 
of  four  hundred  tons,  built  In  1861;  the  General  Franz 
Sigel  and  the  Unadilla  of  about  the  same  size,  built  in 
1862;  and  the  City  of  Buffalo,  the  City  of  Milwaukee^ 
and  the  City  of  Chicago,  were  trim  and  fast  vessels. 
The  schooner  Ogarita,  built  in  1864,  was  flat-bottomed 
and  beamier  than  any  craft  of  the  kind  then  afloat,  and 
registered  six  hundred  tons,  with  measurements  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy-three  feet  length  and  thirty-nine 
feet  beam.  Other  smart  vessels  were  the  P.  C.  Sherman, 
Invincible,  Sam  Flint,  and  the  M.  S.  Bacon.  The  Lotus 
came  out  one  spring  with  a  varnished  bottom,  her  cap- 
tain having  an  idea  that  It  would  preserve  the  wood, 
make  the  surface  more  slippery,  and  thus  increase  the 
speed.  When  the  bolt-heads  began  to  drip  rust  and  the 
experiment  had  proved  a  failure,  the  hull  was  painted 
black.  After  years  of  service  these  famous  schooners 
were  converted  Into  "  lumber  hookers,"  their  topmasts 
were  removed  and  they  ended  towing  wearily  behind  some 
steam  barge. 

Full-rigged    brigs    became    extinct    about    1869,    It    Is 


FROM    WOOD    TO    IRON  185 

supposed  with  the  loss  of  the  Robert  Burns,  in  the 
straits,  with  a  loss  of  ten  lives.  The  composite  vessels 
called  brigantines  were  counterfeits  of  the  real  ocean 
type,  and  were  well  calculated  to  stir  the  salt-water  sailor 
to  scorn.  The  Michigan  was  the  first  double-decked 
schooner  on  the  lakes,  being  sailed  many  years  by  Cap- 
tain Fred  Hart.  The  James  Crouch,  afterward  named 
the  Tasmania,  built  in  1871,  was  the  largest  schooner 
then  afloat.  It  was  of  one  thousand  tons'  burden  and 
measured  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  feet  in  length  by 
thirty-five  feet  of  beam.  The  Julia  Barnes,  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty  tons,  built  in  1872,  and  the  Scotia, 
of  nine  hundred  tons,  which  appeared  the  following  year, 
were  the  fastest  on  the  lakes.  The  schooner  JVells  Burt 
was  lost  near  Chicago,  in  1863,  with  the  entire  crew. 

An  old-time  mariner  who  had  sailed  the  lakes  for  years, 
and  as  an  owner,  once  said: 

"  Each  year  the  ports  of  the  Great  Lakes  contain  many 
old  wooden  schooners  which  will  never  know  another  fitting- 
out  time.  Sailors  will  point  to  them  as  the  crack  boats  of  their 
time.  When  they  came  out  they  were  the  pride  and  wonder  of 
marine  men.  Their  races  from  Chicago  with  cargoes  of  grain 
were  more  exciting  than  any  yacht  regatta.  When  the  wind 
went  to  the  southward  they  started  out  thirty  to  fifty  strong 
and  headed  proudly  and  straight  for  South  Manitou  Island. 
Their  sails  were  new  and  white,  their  masts  were  scraped,  their 
decks  were  scoured,  and  as  they  drove  past  Grosse  Point,  they 
made  a  beautiful  marine  picture.  The  first  man  to  reach  the 
ice,  near  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  was  as  proud  of  his  ship  as 
himself.  Those  were  the  days  when  a  captain  was  a  Captain, 
for  he  generally  owned  his  own  boat  and  sailed  it  as  he  willed." 

Of  all  the  large  number  of  sailing  craft  which  formed 
the  greater  part  of  the  lake  marine  In  1873,  but  a  small 
portion  now  remains  afloat,  and  each  year  sees  from 
ten  to  twenty  stricken  from  the  lists.  Some  are  stranded 
In  the  Inviting  sands  of  the  lake  shores,  others  bring 
up  on  hidden  reefs  or  founder  In  mid-lake  during  violent 
gales,  while  still  others  meet  their  end  by  collision  or  fire. 


i86  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

As  each  year  goes  by  those  which  escape  the  furies  of 
the  elements  are  less  stout  and  seaworthy,  for  their 
timbers  and  sheathing  are  showing  the  ravages  of  time, 
and  the  chances  of  disaster  are  multiplied.  Upon  the 
whole  chain  of  Great  Lakes  there  are  probably  not  to 
exceed  two  hundred  of  the  old-time  craft  in  sailing  trim, 
and  in  a  few  years  more  white  sails  and  the  real  sailor- 
man,  "  the  fresh-water  tar,"  will  be  things  of  the  past. 
They  will  not  be  forgotten  memories,  however,  in  this 
generation  at  least,  for  the  romance  and  picturesque 
beauty  of  the  old  days  on  the  lakes  will  ever  remain 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  those  who  knew  them. 

The  advent  of  the  steam  barge,  in  the  early  sixties, 
marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  freighting  of 
heavy,  coarse  commodities;  and  to  this  type,  with  the 
consequent  adoption  of  a  system  of  tows  some  years 
after,  is  due  the  rapid  decline  in  rates.  In  1859  ^^^ 
freight  on  grain  from  Chicago  to  Buffalo  was  about  six- 
teen cents  a  bushel,  ten  or  twelve  years  later  it  had 
dropped  to  seven  or  eight  cents,  and  in  the  eighties, 
when  the  towing  system  was  in  full  operation,  it  was 
five  cents.  The  ore  rate  in  1867,  from  the  Superior  to 
the  lower  lake  ports,  was  four  dollars  and  a  quarter  a 
ton;  within  five  years  it  had  been  reduced  to  two  dollars 
and  a  half,  and  it  continued  on  the  downward  scale  as 
larger  and  faster  steamers  were  built  especially  for  this 
business.  The  rates  on  coal,  which  commodity  formed 
the  return  cargoes  for  the  ore  steamers,  were  also  affected 
by  the  changed  conditions  of  the  traffic,  and  in  a  pro- 
portionate degree. 

The  first  steam  barges  introduced  in  the  traffic  were 
very  much  of  an  experimental  character,  and  were  built 
of  dimensions  to  fit  the  old  canals,  or  about  one  hundred 
and  forty  feet  length,  twenty-six  feet  beam,  and  nine 
feet  draft.  These  steamers  registered  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  tons  net,  and  were  largely  used  in  the  interlakc 
commerce   from  upper  lake  ports  to  Lake  Ontario  and 


FROM    WOOD    TO    IRON  187 

the  St.  Lawrence  River.  The  keenness  of  competition, 
however,  soon  taught  the  lesson  that  the  larger  vessel 
was  the  cheaper  carrier;  and  from  that  conclusion  there 
naturally  resulted  an  abandonment  of  the  Welland  Canal 
route  by  the  new  barges,  built  of  larger  measurements 
and  greater  capacity,  for  economic  reasons.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  the  steam  barge  was  the  cheapest  carrier 
at  that  time  evolved,  and  as  the  number  of  large  ones 
increased  the  well  established  and  time  honored  business 
of  the  sailing  vessel  was  seriously  undermined.  This 
condition  was  particularly  true  in  the  traffic  between  the 
principal  ports,  which  left  to  the  sailing  craft  the  un- 
certain business  of  a  local  nature  to  and  from  the  ports 
where  the  shallowness  of  the  channels  barred  the  larger 
steamers. 

The  owners  of  the  stanch  and  fast  sailing  schooners 
were  thus  brought  face  to  face  with  the  most  serious 
problem  they  had  ever  encountered,  but  In  time  it  re- 
solved itself  into  a  general  proposition  of  the  "  survival 
of  the  fittest."  The  old  and  rotting  hulks  were  the  first 
to  be  abandoned;  then  those  craft  of  the  beamy  and 
rather  ugly  type  were  dismantled,  and  finally  the  proud 
three-masters  were  laid  up  to  await  better  times.  It  is 
to  the  credit  of  the  ingenious  sailorman  of  the  fresh 
waters  that  the  opening  of  a  new  field  of  usefulness  for 
these  craft  was  not  long  delayed.  The  evolution  In  the 
past  thirty  years  has  been  rapid,  but  at  no  stage  has  It 
been  more  marked  than  In  the  introduction  of  "  tows," 
a  system  of  lake  navigation  devised  and  proposed  by 
some  prosperity-seeking  mariner,  now  unknown.  In  the 
unfolding  of  this  scheme  the  topmasts  of  the  Idle 
schooners  were  removed  and  all  sails  and  hamper,  ex- 
cepting the  fore,  main,  and  aft  sails,  were  taken  down 
and  stowed  away.  Then,  with  decks  cleared  and  with 
stout  hawsers  over  bow  and  stern,  they  towed  two,  three, 
four,  and  even  six  in  tandem  formation  behind  some  steam 
barge.     With  their  moderate  sail  power  they  aided  ma- 


i88  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

terlally  to  the  despatch  In  favoring  winds ;  and  In  times 
of  rough  weather  and  gales  they  kept  the  long  line  in- 
tact and  far  steadier,  with  one  or  two  reefed  sails  set. 
This  was  probably  the  most  dangerous  period  of  lake 
navigation.  The  barges,  as  they  had  then  become,  were 
often  laden  to  the  plank-sheer  and  with  deck-loads  of 
lumber,  shingles,  or  lath,  were  unwieldy  craft  and  top- 
heavy  and  stood  little  chance  of  riding  out  a  storm,  if,  by 
the  breaking  of  a  tow-line,  they  became  separated  from 
their  consort. 

The  products  of  the  Michigan  forests,  which  added 
greatly  to  the  commerce  of  the  lakes  between  about 
1865  and  1895,  sought  the  eastern  and  southern  markets 
by  the  water  route  almost  exclusively.  The  chief  ports 
of  distribution  to  the  retail  markets  were  Sandusky, 
Cleveland,  Tonawanda,  and  Buffalo;  and  from  the  Sagi- 
naw River  and  the  Lake  Huron  shore  were  shipped  many 
billion  feet  of  lumber,  shingles,  lath,  fence  posts,  tele- 
graph poles,  and  heavy  building  and  ship  timbers.  Salt, 
which  was  made  from  brine  pumped  from  underlying 
strata,  by  the  aid  of  the  waste  steam  from  the  sawmills, 
also  formed  a  considerable  article  of  commerce.  This 
important  commodity  was  shipped  in  barrels  mostly  by 
"  rabbits,"  a  modified  type  of  the  steam  barge.  These 
were  built  on  different  lines,  were  of  low  freeboard  with- 
out the  high  bow,  and  with  the  wheelhouse  aft  of  the 
waist  section,  and  In  front  of  the  short  upper  deck  cabin. 
The  "  rabbits  "  also  carried  stone,  coal,  and  pig  iron  and 
often  towed  barges  of  a  smaller  class  which  could  enter 
the  lesser  ports  of  shallow-water  channels.  These  quaint 
old  craft  are  fast  passing  from  the  twentieth  century 
life  of  the  busy  waterways,  but  they  were  worthy  of  re- 
spect for  their  many  battles  with  the  elements,  notwith- 
standing the  Irreverent  sailorman  has  dubbed  them  "  cof- 
fins," and  other  names  more  expressive  In  the  language 
of  scorn.  A  lone  barge  or  tow  may  occasionally  be  seen 
in  these  days,  sometimes  running  up  light  If  no  coal  car- 


FROM    WOOD   TO    IRON  189 

goes  are  "  in  sight,"  but,  if  fair  weather  favors  them, 
they  soon  return  laden  deep  with  cargoes  of  lumber  or 
other  products  of  the  forest.  Many  of  the  old-timers 
are  owned  and  operated  by  the  large  lumber  concerns  still 
doing  business  in  Chicago,  Detroit,  Saginaw  River,  and 
the  Lake  Huron  shore.  Of  these  interesting  old  craft 
which  still  claim  a  share  of  the  "  pick-up  "  or  tramp  busi- 
ness of  the  lakes,  the  Maitie,  built  in  1862,  the  Homer 
Warren  In  1863,  the  Saginaw,  in  1866,  the  Sanilac  in 
1867,  the  Robert  Holland  in  1872,  the  Oscoda  in  1878, 
and  the  fVilliam  Rudolph,  in  1880,  are  fair  examples. 

Another  type  of  lake  steamer,  which  once  played  an 
important  part  in  the  through  commerce  of  the  vast  lake 
region  to  the  Northwest  and  the  East,  was  known  as  the 
"  railroad  boats."  They  were  owned  and  operated 
largely  by  the  Eastern  trunk  lines  of  railroad,  running  to 
the  seaboard.  Their  route  lay  from  Chicago  to  Buffalo, 
and  they  could  stow  away  several  train-loads  of  merchan- 
dise or  grain  in  their  capacious  holds.  The  principal 
feature  which  distinguished  them  was  the  huge  truss  run- 
ning fore  and  aft  on  each  side,  giving  them  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  built  around  a  section  of  a  railroad 
bridge.  This  form  of  construction  gave  rigidity  and 
strength,  and  they  were  classed  as  safe,  strong  vessels. 
One  by  one  they  have  been  displaced  by  modern,  fast 
steamships  of  steel,  and  only  at  the  basins  at  terminal 
ports  are  they  to  be  seen  these  days,  tied  up,  swinging 
lazily  with  the  current,  the  green  shutters  of  their  cabin 
windows  banging  in  the  wind. 

In  the  good  old  days  of  the  lakes  the  tug  boat  earnings 
were  often  enormous,  and  in  1866  it  reached  a  figure 
almost  beyond  belief.  The  straits  connecting  Lake  Erie 
and  Lake  Huron  are  very  narrow,  and  a  swift  current 
of  about  three  miles  an  hour  runs  through  the  St.  Clair 
and  Detroit  Rivers.  Near  the  mouth  of  the  latter  stream 
is  the  "  hell-gate,"  of  the  Great  Lakes,  a  narrow  rock 
cut,  through  which  the  sailing  craft  could  only  creep  with 


190  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

the  aid  of  a  guiding  power.  There  were  about  thirty- 
five  tugs  on  the  Detroit  River  engaged  in  towing  vessels 
through  the  strait;  and  there  was  keen  rivalry  between 
them  and  some  cutting  of  rates  until  an  association  was 
formed  of  the  largest  tug  owners  to  maintain  a  regular 
schedule  of  prices  and  distribute  the  work  more  evenly. 
In  1866  the  thirty-three  tugs  in  the  association  earned 
$694,855,  or  an  average  for  each  tug  of  more  than 
twenty-one  thousand  dollars.  The  net  profits  of  their 
operations  were  $325,229,  or  an  average  of  nearly  ten 
thousand  dollars.  In  those  palmy  days  a  tug  would 
sometimes  earn  a  net  sum  equal  to  its  original  cost, 
and  some  of  them,  such  as  the  tugs  Satellite  and  Mas- 
ters, with  more  than  twenty-three  thousand  dollars  each 
to  their  credit,  and  the  Moffat,  with  more  than  fif- 
teen thousand  dollars,  certainly  did  better.  The  steam 
barge  and  the  lake  freighter,  which  took  from  the  sail- 
ing craft  their  best  trade  and  large  profits,  also  caused 
the  little  steam  tug  to  seek  other  fields  of  operation. 
This  it  did  by  entering  the  towing  business  of  the  streams 
in  the  rapidly  developing  lumber  districts  along  the  Lake 
Huron  and  Lake  Michigan  shores. 


CHAPTER    XV 

THE    RIVER    FERRIES    FROM    HAND    TO    STEAM 

Era  of  Steam  —  Early  Hand  Ferries  —  Horse  Ferries  —  First  Steam 
Power  Ferries  on  St.  Lawrence  and  at  Toronto  —  Detroit  River 
Ferries  of  Early  Times  —  The  Windsor  —  Its  Burning  —  Modern 
Steam  Ferries  —  Incident  of  Winter,  1887  —  Other  Ferries  at 
Port  Huron  and  Mackinac. 

THE  era  of  steam,  in  which  there  has  been  witnessed 
the  greatest  advance  in  the  mechanical  arts  since 
the  early  civilizations,  has  wrought  many  and  great 
changes  in  the  modes  of  navigation  throughout  the  world. 
One  evidence  of  this  is  the  remarkable  development  in 
the  past  century  of  the  steam  tonnage  upon  the  high  seas. 
From  the  little  side-wheel  steamer  Brittania,  which  was 
the  first  vessel  propelled  by  steam  to  make  regular 
trips  across  the  Atlantic,  to  the  giant  Maiiretania,  there 
is  a  wide  transition.  From  the  first  steam  frigate,  the 
Princeton^  of  the  United  States  navy,  to  the  Indomitable 
battleship  Florida,  there  is  shown  an  evolution  of  power 
almost  beyond  belief.  From  the  Hudson  River  steam- 
boat, the  Clermont,  to  the  stately  Hendr'ick  Hudson,  there 
is  manifest  a  vast  improvement  in  respect  to  speed  and 
accommodations  for  travellers.  Coming  inland,  as  be- 
tween the  W alk-in-the-W ater  and  the  latest  leviathan  of 
the  passenger  fleet  on  the  Great  Lakes,  no  comparison 
can  be  drawn.  The  only  feature  in  common  possessed 
by  them  all  is  a  power  plant,  the  motive  energy  of  which 
is  steam.  Beyond  that  there  is  no  similarity  either  in 
model,  materials,  or  construction. 

Upon  no  inland  waters  of  the  world  Is  there  to   be 


192  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

found  a  marine  comprising  so  many  and  varied  types 
of  steam  vessels  as  that  of  the  Great  Lakes  of  America. 
In  this  generation  many  of  the  old-timers  are  objects  of 
curiosity  to  the  landsman,  while  the  salt-water  "  tar  "  looks 
upon  them,  and  also  the  modern  types  of  the  lake  craft, 
with  astonishment  and  scorn.  The  habitual  traveller  on 
the  lakes,  however,  and  perhaps  the  casual  tourist,  view 
the  big  freighters,  the  giant  ore  carriers,  and  the  speedy 
passenger  steamers  with  reverence,  wondering  the  while 
what  cargoes  and  power  installations  are  carried  in 
their  cavernous  holds.  If  they  inquire  what  practical 
reasons  there  may  be  for  some  of  the  strange  and  novel 
types,  in  all  probability  they  will  be  told  that  in  a  general 
way  the  fresh-water  craft  are  better  adapted  to  the 
special  and  peculiar  uses  of  the  lake  service  than  any 
other  types  of  ships  would  be. 

As  evidence  of  this  fact  the  steam  barge  and  its 
"  hookers  "  towing  wearily  behind,  sometimes  to  the  num- 
ber of  five  or  six,  have  never  been  equalled  as  economical 
carriers  of  lumber  and  other  products  of  the  forest. 
Likewise,  the  little  "  rabbit,"  a  modified  type  of  the 
barge,  is  most  economical  in  the  freighting  of  salt,  stone, 
coal,  and  other  heavy,  coarse  commodities  between  ports, 
the  shallow  channels  of  which  bar  the  modern  steel 
freighters.  The  great  ore  carriers  of  the  lakes  are  the 
largest  bulk  freight  vessels  upon  any  waters  of  the  globe, 
and  they  transport  larger  cargoes  and  at  a  lower  rate, 
considering  the  short  haul,  than  any  vessels  ever  built. 
The  splendid  package  freighters  of  large  cargo  capacity 
and  speed  maintain  regular  schedules  from  end  to  end 
of  the  lakes,  regardless  of  storm  or  gale.  The  through 
rates  from  the  West  to  the  seaboard,  In  connection  with 
the  Erie  Canal,  are  so  low  as  to  be  beyond  any  railroad 
competition.  Another  type  not  before  mentioned  but  of 
exceeding  interest  is  that  of  the  railway  car  ferries,  which 
for  about  thirty  years  have  been  familiar  to  travellers, 
at  least  on  the  connecting  rivers  between   Lake  Huron 


FERRIES    FROM    HAND    TO    STEAM     193 

and  Lake  Erie.  Within  recent  years  they  have  become 
important  factors  in  a  vast  commerce  flowing  from  the 
West  across  Lake  Michigan. 

But  long  before  these  big  black  transports  had  been 
devised,  or  even  thought  of,  the  rivers  were  crossed  and 
recrossed  by  other  and  simpler  means.  In  the  days  of 
the  Revolution  a  ferry  was  maintained  on  the  Niagara 
River,  at  Black  Rock,  and  was  the  first  of  authentic  rec- 
ord above  the  great  cataract.  It  was  a  hand  ferry  and 
consisted  of  a  flat-bottomed  scow,  propelled  by  long 
sweeps  moved  by  human  strength.  The  landing  on  the 
American  side  was  the  historic  "  black  rock,"  —  a  broad 
flat  rock  about  one  hundred  feet  wide,  extending  into 
the  stream  nearly  the  same  number  of  feet.  Its  top 
was  four  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  formed 
an  excellent  landing  place  for  the  birch-bark  canoes  and 
the  light  bateaux  of  the  early  explorers.  Here  La  Salle 
and  his  little  band  of  intrepid  followers  embarked  in  the 
Griffin^  and,  with  a  salute  of  the  brass  guns  and  mus- 
ketry, sailed  away  to  join  Tonty  in  an  expedition  for  the 
discovery  of  a  new  passage  to  the  Pacific.  From  the 
same  spot  the  first  steamboat,  the  TV alk-in-the-W ater, 
breasted  the  swift  current  with  the  aid  of  the  "  horned 
breeze,"  and  steamed  out  into  Lake  Erie  to  the  astonish- 
ment alike  of  the  natives  and  the  inhabitants  along  the 
shore. 

In  1800  an  enterprising  boatman,  named  O'Neill,  liv- 
ing in  a  log  hut  near  the  "  black  rock,"  built  and  operated 
a  hand  ferry  from  this  historic  landing  to  the  Canadian 
side.  Six  years  later  Major  Frederick  Miller  took  the 
ferry  and  conducted  it  until  1812.  From  that  time  until 
1 82 1  another  sturdy  pioneer  in  the  business,  Lester  Brace, 
conducted  the  convenient  ferry,  and  it  was  only  displaced 
by  a  new  and  more  novel  power  boat  which  appeared  in 
1826.  This  was  the  first  horse-power  ferry  on  the  lakes, 
and  was  put  in  service  by  L.  B.  and  Donald  Eraser.  The 
machinery  consisted  of  a  horizontal  wheel  the  width  of 


194  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

the  boat,  and  it  was  operated  by  horses  treading  at  each 
side. 

About  1844  another  horse  ferry  was  established  by 
Privatt  Brothers  between  Toronto  and  the  small  island 
across  the  harbor.  The  boat  was  named  the  Peuin- 
sular  Packet^  and  was  a  side-wheel  affair,  operated  by  two 
horses.  The  first  power  appliance  was  so  constructed 
that  the  horses  trod  on  a  revolving  platform  or  table, 
which,  by  an  arrangement  of  crude  gears,  transmitted 
its  energy  to  a  shaft.  At  the  ends  of  this  shaft  were 
secured  the  paddle-wheels.  In  operation  the  horses  re- 
mained In  a  stationary  position,  treading  away  very  much 
as  in  the  old  threshing  machine  outfits  where  the  beasts 
continually  climbed  a  hill.  After  about  two  years  of 
service  the  cumbersome  mechanism  was  altered  so  that 
the  horses  followed  a  circular  path  on  the  deck  of  the 
boat,  a  principle  in  use  to-day  In  the  simplest  power 
appliances.  In  this  form  the  boat  was  operated  until 
1850.  In  that  year  Louis  J.  Privatt  built  the  little 
steamer  Victoria,  of  twenty-five  horse-power,  to  run 
from  Robert  Maitland's  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Church 
Street.  It  maintained  an  hourly  service  from  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning  until  seven  o'clock  In  the  evening;  and 
continued  on  the  passage  until   1855. 

The  introduction  of  steam  in  the  ferry  service  on  the 
St.  Lawrence  River  was  coincident  with  the  appearance 
of  iron  vessels  in  those  waters.  This  was  In  1843  when 
the  pioneers  of  that  class,  named  the  Prince  Albert  and 
the  Iron  Duke,  were  put  on  the  service  between  Montreal 
on  one  side  and  St.  Lambert  and  Laprairie,  on  the  south 
shore.  The  original  Victoria  Bridge  had  not  yet  been 
built,  and  the  passengers  from  the  south  by  the  Cham- 
plain  and  St.  Lawrence  Railway  were  conveyed  across  the 
river  to  their  destination  by  these  steamers.  They  were 
built  in  Scotland,  brought  across  the  ocean  In  sections, 
and  put  together  in  Montreal.  In  1845  some  small  mar- 
ket boats  were  put  on  to  run  between  the  city  and  Sorel, 


Old  club  at  St.    Clair  Flats 


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gg{n^ji,i,„ii[iuii,i„iii„     nnmnnv 


Steam  tR   T  ash  moo 


FERRIES    FROM    HAND   TO    STEAM     195 

a  point  some  distance  down  the  river  on  the  south  side, 
in  order  to  enable  the  farmers  there  to  market  their 
produce.  PVom  this  small  beginning  there  has  developed 
the  largest  transportation  line  in  the  St.  Lawrence  system. 

The  ferries  on  the  Detroit  River  date  from  1825,  at 
which  time  the  scow  Olive  Branch  was  put  on  between 
Detroit  and  Windsor.  It  was  a  primitive  affair,  and  in 
an  advertisement  of  the  ferry  it  was  stated,  "  for  the 
purpose  of  transporting  wagons,  horses,  cattle,  and  pas- 
sengers across  the  Detroit  River."  The  passenger  traffic 
then  must  have  been  the  least  important  to  the  boatmen. 
About  1830  this  ferry  was  displaced  by  a  steamboat 
named  the  Argo,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Burtiss. 
It  was  a  side-wheeler  and  continued  in  service  until  1834, 
when  a  rival  for  the  popular  patronage  appeared,  named 
the  Lady  of  the  Lake.  Two  years  after,  Louis  Daven- 
port built  and  put  in  service  a  larger  steamer  equipped 
with  a  high-pressure  engine,  which  he  named  the  United. 
This  ferry  registered  seventy-one  tons.  In  operation, 
the  exhaust  from  the  engine  gave  such  a  penetrating 
sound  as  to  be  heard  a  long  distance  In  clear  weather. 
In  1853  the  United  was  enlarged  and  converted  into  a 
wood  barge,  and  plied  the  lakes  for  twenty-six  years.  It 
was  finally  sunk  in  collision  at  the  St.  Clair  Flats,  in  1879. 

Contemporary  with  the  United,  as  a  ferry,  were  the 
Alliance,  which  was  added  to  the  course  in  1842,  and  was 
known  a  few  years  later  as  the  Undine;  the  Argo  No.  2, 
built  in  1848,  which  soon  exploded,  killing  Captain  Foster 
and  several  others,  but  was  rebuilt  and  sailed  for  twenty- 
four  years  by  Captain  Forbes;  and  the  Ottawa,  of  three 
hundred  tons'  burden,  built  by  Dr.  Russell,  and  which 
ended  its  career  on  the  Maumee  River.  In  1856  the  side- 
wheeler  Gem,  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  built 
by  W.  P.  Campbell,  was  put  on  in  connection  with  the 
Windsor,  a  steamer  of  about  the  same  dimensions  which 
came  out  that  year.  These  steamers  maintained  the  ser- 
vice with  some  competition  for  a  number  of  years.     The 


196  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

JFindsor  was  chartered  in  1866  to  operate  the  connecting 
hnk  of  the  riv^er  for  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  Rail- 
road, carrying  both  freight  and  passengers  to  and  from 
the  Great  Western  Railway  docks  in  Windsor. 

Before  it  had  been  long  in  service,  however,  the  ferry 
was  lost  in  one  of  the  great  marine  disasters,  by  which 
the  annals  of  the  Great  Lakes  are  filled.  On  the  night 
of  April  23,  1866,  the  steamer  burned  in  the  river,  with 
a  loss  of  thirty  lives.  Many  other  passengers  were  picked 
up  by  small  boats,  which  put  off  from  the  dock,  and  the 
ferry  boat  Detroit,  which  happened  to  be  making  a  land- 
ing near  by.  That  the  whole  water  front  of  the  city 
was  not  engulfed  in  a  sea  of  flame  was  due  to  the  heroic 
and  quick  action  of  Captain  Innes,  of  the  ferry  Detroit. 
The  venerable  captain  for  a  number  of  years  has  been 
commodore  of  the  Michigan  Central  fleet  of  transports. 
A  graphic  account  of  the  catastrophe  is  told  by  the  captain 
himself: 

"You  see  it  was  this  way.  'Long  about  eleven  o'clock  one 
night  an  explosion  of  oil  occurred  aboard  the  steamer  Windsor^ 
while  she  was  tied  to  her  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Brush  Street.  I 
was  captain  of  the  old  city  ferry,  the  Detroit,  at  the  time,  and 
we  had  just  landed  at  the  foot  of  Woodward  Avenue,  with  pas- 
sengers from  Windsor.  I  was  standing  at  the  signal  ropes  on 
the  bridge  leading  to  the  pilot  house  when  the  Windsor  took 
fire.  In  less  than  two  minutes  after  the  explosion  she  was  a 
mass  of  flames  from  stem  to  stern.  She  had  perhaps  fifty 
people  aboard,  as  I  found  out  afterwards  —  passengers  and 
deck  hands.  In  about  another  minute  I  saw  her  lines  ablazin' 
—  saw  'em  part  and  saw  the  Windsor  startin'  to  drift  down  in 
our  direction.  By  this  time  the  freight  sheds  on  the  wharf  had 
caught  fire,  and  I  saw  men  and  women  leaping  over  the  Windsor's 
rail  into  the  water.  I  signalled  our  boys  to  man  the  life-boats, 
and  shouted  to  'em  to  make  a  line  fast  to  her  stern.  This  they 
did  in  short  order.  Then  I  sends  a  signal  below  to  back  her 
hard  —  runs  into  the  pilot  house,  throws  over  the  helm,  and  out 
and  away  we  goes  toward  the  middle  grounds.  I  saw  the  men 
in  our  life-boats  trying  to  rescue  those  people  in  the  river  — 
and  they  were  surely  doing  their  best.  All  at  once,  like  the 
report  of  a  gun,  our  tow  line  parted.    The  Windsor  was  a  roar- 


FERRIES    FROM    HAND    TO    STEAM     197 

ing  furnace.  We  were  then  off  the  foot  of  Wayne  Street,  on  the 
middle  ground  where  the  cross-current  runs  strong,  and  I  knew 
unless  we  could  do  something  to  keep  the  Windsor  off  shore, 
that  when  she  struck,  the  whole  river  front  would  soon  be 
ablaze,  in  consequence  of  her  drifting  down  with  the  current. 
But  how  to  keep  her  out  in  the  channel  was  sure  enough  a 
puzzler.  First,  I  decided  to  ram  her  down  the  river.  No,  this 
plan  would  n't  do.  The  Detroit  would  catch  fire  and  then  — 
what  of  my  passengers  —  more  than  a  score  of  'em.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Windsor  was  drifting  fast  toward  shore.  We 
would  have  to  ram  her  —  and  quick,  too. 

"My  men  being  out  in  the  life-boats  left  us  short-handed 
—  only  myself,  the  wheelsman,  engineer,  and  fireman,  and  the 
latter  two  would  have  to  stay  below.  Life-boats  or  no  life- 
boats, we  must  run  the  risk.  I  gave  orders  to  send  her  full 
speed  ahead  —  shouted  to  the  passengers  and  the  men  to  wet 
down  the  decks  and  stand  ready  with  the  buckets.  Well,  in 
a  couple  of  minutes  we  struck  her.  There  was  a  crash  of  fallin', 
blazin'  timbers.  The  sparks  fell  on  our  decks  in  a  shower,  and 
we  were  ablaze  in  a  dozen  places.  But  we  held  on  to  the  Wind- 
sor^ stuck  to  her,  pushed  her  out  into  the  river,  fought  the 
flames  on  board  our  boat  and  headed  for  Sandwich  Point.  All 
told,  we  must  have  been  two  hours  gettin'  her  beached,  where 
she  burned  to  the  water's  edge. 

"Next  day  a  dozen  or  so  Detroit  citizens  came  aboard  and 
offered  me  a  purse  of  one  thousand  dollars  in  gold.  Said  I  had 
to  take  it  —  that  I  had  saved  the  river  front.  I  refused  and 
laughed  'em  out  of  the  notion.  Why,  anybody  who  was  half  a 
man  would  have  done  his  best  that  night  of  the  fire  of  '66." 

The  steamer  Essex,  built  In  1859,  ran  for  several  years 
between  Detroit  and  Windsor,  and  in  war  times  many 
exciting  scenes  were  enacted  on  her  decks,  and  at  the 
docks  on  either  side,  as  the  ferry  at  this  point  was  fre- 
quently attacked  by  rebel  refugees  in  Canada,  attempting 
to  pass  back  into  the  United  States.  The  Essex  after- 
ward was  placed  on  the  ferry  between  St.  Clair  and  Court- 
right,  on  the  St.  Clair  River.  The  ferry-boat  Detroit 
was  built  at  Algonac,  in  1864,  and  was  burned  in  Sep- 
tember, 1875,  at  Sandwich,  a  few  miles  below  the  city  on 
the  Canadian  side.  The  steamer  Hope  was  built  in  1870, 
but  was  soon  after  converted  into  a  propeller  for  lake 


198  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

service.  The  only  iron  ferry-boat  during  this  period  was 
the  Mohawk,  operated  by  Captain  Chiv^ers.  It  was  built 
about  1844  for  the  British  Revenue  Service,  but  years 
after  was  converted  into  a  passenger  steamer,  and,  after 
running  a  number  of  seasons  on  the  ferry  route,  was  lost 
on  Lake  Huron,  in  1868. 

The  modern  ferry-boats  familiar  to  the  present  gen- 
eration of  lake  dwellers,  and  which  ply  continually  during 
the  navigation  season  between  Detroit  wharfs,  Windsor, 
and  Belle  Isle  Park,  are  of  recent  construction,  and  are 
splendid  steamers  of  their  type.  With  their  broad  decks 
crowded  with  eager,  pleasure-seeking  people,  and  with 
bands  playing,  and  flags  flying  from  the  peaks,  the  swift 
steamers  add  a  touch  of  romance  to  the  commercial  life 
of  the  busy  stream.  The  waters,  so  clear  and  of  the  deep 
blue  tinge  so  entrancing  to  the  landsmen,  are  constantly 
churned  into  swells  by  the  passing  and  repassing  and  the 
crossing  of  the  lanes  of  the  huge  car  ferries,  and  the  con- 
tinual procession  of  lake  freighters,  so  that  they  present 
at  almost  all  times  the  surface  of  a  large  lake  whipped  Into 
waves  by  lake  breezes.  But  in  the  swift  current  the  wa- 
ters rush  onward  to  the  expanse  of  Lake  Erie,  and  thence 
to  the  cataract  of  Niagara.  When  winter  sets  In  and  the 
surface  is  frozen,  the  stanch  steamers  continue  the  ser- 
vice every  day.  In  the  passage  from  the  city  wharf  to  the 
Canadian  town  across  the  way. 

The  earliest  steamer  of  the  present  fleet  was  built  by  the 
Detroit  and  Windsor  Ferry  Company,  in  1872,  and  named 
the  Victoria.  It  was  a  notable  advance  in  ferry-boat  con- 
struction, inasmuch  as  the  under  bow  was  shaped  to 
crush  the  ice  and  pass  over  it.  It  proved  a  great  success 
and  kept  the  channel  open  at  all  times  during  the  winter. 
The  steamer  is  still  in  service.  Tt  registers  one  hundred 
and  ninety-two  tons,  and  is  one  hundred  and  six  feet  long 
by  twenty-eight  feet  beam.  The  ferry  Forliinc  was  built 
in  1875,  on  practically  the  same  lines,  but  Is  one  hundred 
and   fourteen   feet  long   and  twenty-nine    feet   of  beam. 


FERRIES    FROM    HAND   TO    STEAM 


199 


The  following  year  the  steamer  Excelsior  was  added  to 
the  fleet,  —  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  in  length  by 
twenty-nine  feet  beam,  and  registering  two  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  gross  tons.  In  1883,  when  the  Belle  Isle 
service  was  inaugurated,  the  steamer  Sappho  was  built, 
of  dimensions  one  hundred  and  sixteen  by  thirty-one  feet, 
and  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  tons'  register.  As 
the  island  park,  located  three  miles  above  the  commercial 
centre  of  the  river's  activity,  was  improved,  greater 
crowds  of  people  were  attracted  by  its  beauties,  and  by 
1892,  the  Detroit,  Belle  Isle,  and  Windsor  Ferry  Com- 
pany built  the  steamer  Promise^  for  that  service.  The  new 
ferry  was  one  hundred  and  thirty  by  thirty-eight  feet  in 
size,  and  accommodated  almost  two  thousand  passengers, 
yet  it  was  far  from  large  enough  to  carry  the  throngs  of 
people  who  went  to  the  park  by  the  delightful  water- 
way, during  the  hot  summer  months. 

By  1894  the  company  was  obliged  to  build  the  steamer 
Pleasure,  of  still  larger  proportions,  being  one  hundred 
and  forty  by  fifty-one  feet.  With  this  fine  fleet  of  fast 
steamers  a  twenty-minute  schedule  is  maintained  from 
three  landings  in  Detroit  to  the  island  park,  and  a  ten- 
minute  service  between  the  city  and  Windsor.  In  1902 
a  new  service  was  opened  to  Bois  Blanc  Island,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  eighteen  miles  below  the  city,  and  a 
mammoth  new  steamer,  named  the  Columbia,  was  built 
especially  for  it.  The  Columbia  is  the  largest  and  finest 
ferry  steamer  for  the  excursion  business  afloat  upon  any 
water  in  the  world,  and  has  a  passenger  capacity  of  three 
thousand,  five  hundred.  It  is  nearly  a  thousand  tons' 
register  and  measures  two  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  in 
length  of  deck.  To  round  out  the  fleet  and  provide  a 
large  reserve  steamer  suitable  for  either  the  up-river  or 
down-river  service,  the  company.  In  1907,  built  the 
steamer  Brittania,  which,  though  of  slightly  less  dimen- 
sions than  the  Columbia,  is  licensed  to  carry  four  thou- 
sand passengers.    The  limit  is  reached  almost  daily  during 


200  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

the  busy  summer  months,  when  the  tourist  travel  to 
and  from  the  island  parks  is  heaviest.  The  "  City  of  the 
Straits  "  is  the  hub  of  the  lower  lake  navigation,  and 
from  its  broad  wharfs  there  are  witnessed  more  steamer 
arrivals  and  departures  in  a  navigation  season  than  at  any 
other  port  in  American  waters.  More  than  seven  and 
three-quarter  million  passengers  entered  the  port  in  1907. 
Many  of  them  were  tourists  and  lake  travellers  attracted 
by  the  beauties  of  the  historic  river  with  its  clear,  pure 
water,  the  counterpart  of  which  is  not  found  on  the 
continent. 

A  certain  charm  Is  lent  the  romance  of  the  old  water- 
way by  the  tales  of  exciting  scenes  and  instances  of  valor 
and  courage  enacted  upon  its  surface,  but  none  can  equal 
those  told  by  the  old  rivermen,  whose  lives  have  been 
spent  on  the  ferry-boats  and  along  the  water  front.  As 
told  in  their  breezy  way,  which  smacks  of  the  freedom  of 
the  seas,  they  are  none  the  less  effective.  The  humorous 
element  of  the  river  lore  is  not  lacking  in  the  telling,  as 
this  tale  told  by  an  old  ferry  captain  clearly  shows : 

"One  afternoon  during  the  Winter  of  '87  we  roped  a  deer 
off'n  the  ice  and  pulled  her  aboard  the  ferry.  We  were  out  In 
the  middle  grounds  headed  full  speed  for  the  Windsor  side  when 
we  sighted  the  animal.  In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  every 
passenger  was  out  on  deck.  I  ran  out  on  the  bridge  from  the 
pilot  house,  where  I  was  greeted  with  shouts  from  the  passengers 
of  'Get  after  her,  Cap'n!  Get  after  her!  Get  out  some  ropes 
and  we  '11  have  some  fun.'  At  this  time  the  animal  was  puttin' 
fer  the  Canada  side  at  about  forty  knots  an  hour. 

"The  river  was  pretty  well  froze  over,  with  here  and  there  a 
break  and  'wind-flow,'  and  Mr.  Deer  was  about  a  quarter  of  a 
knot  astern,  headed  due  nor'east  by  east.  Decided,  on  a  sud- 
den, we  could  have  some  fun,  so  back  I  puts  into  the  wheel- 
house,  sends  a  full-stop  and  back-her  signal  below,  throws  over 
the  wheel,  sends  another  signal  to  give  her  full  speed  ahead, 
and  down  the  river  we  puts.  Just  when  we  had  turned,  the 
animal  runs  plump  into  an  ice  floe,  and  in  the  river  he  goes  ker- 
splash. 

"We  held  our  course  and  soon  came  alongside.  I  sends 
another  signal  to  stop  her  —  orders  my  men  to  make  ready 


FERRIES    FROM    HAND    TO    STEAM     201 

with  the  ropes  and  clears  the  deck  fer  action.  Out  I  runs  on 
the  bridge  to  give  orders  to  my  men,  when,  all  of  a  sudden 
Mr.  Deer  raises  his  bow,  hooks  his  anchors  on  to  the  edge  of  the 
floe,  pulls  hisself  up  and  out  of  the  water,  and  starts  on  a  sixty- 
mile  pace  fer  the  Detroit  side. 

"Back  I  puts  into  the  pilot  house,  orders  full  speed  ahead; 
helms  her  to  starboard  and  locks  the  wheel  down  tight.  By 
this  time  those  folks  on  deck  were  yellin'  and  shoutin'  like  so 
many  wild  Injuns.  Thinks  I  to  myself,  '  I  '11  give  her  whistle 
a  blast,'  and  I  did.  A  few  short,  quick  ones,  and  then  a  long 
one,  followed  by  a  few  more  short  blasts,  and  all  at  once  Mr. 
Deer  makes  a  few  high  jumps,  stumbles,  and  falls  and  slides 
port  side,  anchors  up,  into  another  wind-break,  and  goes  clear 
under  and  out  of  sight. 

"I  sends  orders  below  to  full-stop  and  back  her  hard,  runs 
out  on  the  bridge  and  orders  my  men  to  again  clear  the  decks 
and  make  ready.  Well,  this  time  we  managed  to  board  her. 
One  of  my  men  jumps  over  the  side,  runs  out  with  a  rope,  and 
just  when  the  animal  had  again  hooked  onto  the  ice  with  his 
anchors,  he  throws  his  line  over  the  critter's  masts,  makes  fast, 
and  signals  my  men  to  throw  a  'bowlin-hitch.'  I  shouts  to  the 
men  to  get  some  planks  over  the  side  and  for  all  hands  to  pull 
on  the  sheet  ropes.  Say,  they  could  n't  budge  her.  Back  I 
puts  and  agin  toots  the  whistle.  Held  her  down  for  a  long 
blast,  and  with  the  noise  of  the  whistle  and  the  shouts  of  the 
passengers,  the  animal  gets  scared,  scrambles  up  atop  the  ice- 
floe, and  then  we  thought  we  had  our  game  sure  dead  easy. 
But,  the  critter  drops  his  anchors  and  braces  hisself  so  hard 
thet  the  men  on  the  ropes  could  n't  budge  him.  Finally,  I 
orders  the  boys  to  make  fast  to  the  capstan  and  then  we  soon 
reeled  him  alongside.  Some  of  the  boys  jumps  over  the  side  and 
helps  to  boost  the  critter  over  the  side.  Such  yellin'  and  shoutin' 
I  never  before  heard  the  likes. 

"All  hands  then  passed  their  opinions.  Some  said  the  animal 
was  a  brand  commonly  seen  in  the  nor'west  of  Canada,  and 
some  'lowed  they  had  seen  the  brand  in  the  nor'east'n  section. 
We  found  out  different,  however,  when  we  got  ashore  at  the 
Windsor  slip.  There  among  the  crowd  waitin'  to  meet  us,  was 
a  feller  who  had  proof  that  Mr.  Deer,  'Mike,'  as  he  called  him, 
was  his  property.  Said  he  was  a  physician  and  that  he  lived 
in  Detroit,  and  that  Mike  had  jumped  the  back-yard  fence  the 
night  before." 

At  the  foot  of  Lake  Huron,  where  the  flow  of  the 
broad  lake  narrows  to  the  St.   Clair  River,   there   is   a 


202  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

ferry  between  the  city  of  Port  Huron  and  Sarnia,  a 
town  on  the  Canadian  side.  Since  1868,  the  little 
steamer  Grace  Dormer  has  maintained  a  ferry  service, 
to  which  was  added,  in  1873,  the  ferry-boat  James  Beard; 
and  in  1882  the  new  steamer  Omar  D.  Conner  was  built 
for  the  passage  of  the  swift  current  at  this  point.  The 
Conger  is  of  two  hundred  gross  tons'  register,  and  Is  one 
hundred  and  two  feet  long  by  twenty-six  feet  beam. 

Across  the  Straits  of  Mackinac  at  the  head  of  the  lakes, 
a  large,  powerful  ferry  —  a  veritable  ice-crusher  — plies  in 
the  service  between  the  town  of  Mackinac,  the  Island  of 
Mackinac,  and  St.  Ignace,  on  the  north  shore.  It  is  the 
well-known  steamer  Algomah,  built  in  1881,  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty-six  gross  tons,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty  feet  in  length  by  thirty-three  feet  beam.  Through 
storm  and  gale,  which  are  prevalent  in  the  straits  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  the  stanch  steamer  runs  back  and 
forth  over  the  profitable  route.  In  the  depth  of  winter, 
when  the  ice  in  the  straits  is  often  piled  high  and  badly 
windrowed,  the  Algomah  is  useful  in  keeping  the  chan- 
nel open  for  the  car  ferries,  which  connect  the  north 
peninsula  railroads  with  those  of  the  mainland  operating 
to  the  south. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE    RAILWAY   TRANSPORTS 

Two  Classes,  River  and  Lake  Transports  —  Descriptions  of  River 
Transports  —  List  of  Traffic  Carried  by  Them  —  Difficulties  of 
Winter  Navigation  —  Delays  to  Limited  Trains  —  Description  of 
Lake  Transports  —  Lines  —  Distances  across  Lake  Michigan  —  List 
OF  Vessels  in  this  Service  —  Coal  Trade  across  Lake  Erie  —  The 
Transport  Ashtabula  —  Dangers  of  Ice  and  Gales. 

THE  big  car  ferries  of  the  Inland  Seas,  which  oper- 
ate the  missing  links  in  almost  a  score  of  trunk 
lines  of  the  iron  trail,  are  of  two  classes,  —  those  for  river 
service  and  those  built  especially  for  the  lake  routes. 
The  original  car  transports,  which  were  of  the  former 
class,  appeared  in  the  seventies,  and  were  the  outcome 
of  the  intense  rivalry  of  the  railroads  to  secure  the  greater 
share  of  the  rapidly  increasing  commerce  of  the  Middle 
West.  Unloading  merchandise  from  the  cars,  the  ferry- 
ing, and  reloading  it  on  the  other  side  was  a  slow  and 
expensive  method,  and  the  time  came  when  the  traffic 
of  the  Michigan  Central  could  no  longer  be  handled 
profitably  by  breaking  bulk  at  the  hiatus  of  the  Detroit 
River.  Bridging  the  straits  or  rivers  connecting  Lake 
Huron  with  Lake  Erie  never  was  deemed  feasible,  and 
tunnelling  the  beds  of  the  streams  was  not  advocated 
until  years  after. 

To  load  the  cars,  therefore,  on  large  and  powerful 
steamers  and  transport  them  across  the  narrow  river  was 
then  the  only  practical  means  of  overcoming  Nature's 
handicap,  and  such  service  has  been  maintained  in  winter 
and  in  summer  for  many  years.  The  Canada  Southern 
Railroad,  which  had  been  extended  from  Amherstburg, 


204  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

near  the  mouth  of  Detroit  River,  to  Buffalo  and  Niagara 
Falls,  formed  the  eastern  outlet  of  the  Michigan  Central, 
and,  to  connect  with  it  the  latter  constructed  a  short 
branch  line  out  and  across  Stony  Island  to  deep  water  In 
the  river.  Plying  back  and  forth  between  the  terminal 
slip  docks  the  big  black  transports  carried  hundreds  of 
loaded  cars  and  thousands  of  passengers  daily.  A  num- 
ber of  years  later,  when  the  Michigan  Central  absorbed 
the  Canadian  road,  a  direct  cut-off  was  constructed  from 
Essex  to  Windsor,  and  the  ferry  route  changed  from  that 
port  to  Detroit,  the  original  ferry  line  being  abandoned. 

The  river  transport,  like  other  craft  intended  for 
quiet  waters,  is  constructed  with  low  freeboard  and  clear 
decks,  and  all  the  machinery  Is  placed  low  in  the  hull 
entirely  beneath  the  main  deck.  This  leaves  the  main 
deck  unobstructed  for  the  three  or  four  tracks  which  run 
lengthways  of  the  vessel.  The  cars  are  shunted  on  the 
steamer  from  connecting  tracks  on  the  slip  dock,  or 
hauled  off,  just  as  switching  Is  done  on  the  tracks  in 
the  yard.  When  a  train  of  cars  is  loaded  on,  the  farther 
ends  of  the  sections  at  the  stern  of  the  transport  are 
held  by  strong  bumpers,  while  the  open  or  dock  ends  are 
chained  fast  and  blocked  so  as  to  be  Immovable  while 
the  steamer  Is  under  way. 

In  the  loading  and  unloading  of  a  transport  an  apron 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  slip  dock  is  used,  on  which 
the  tracks  run  to  make  a  secure  and  strong  union  with 
those  on  the  vessel.  To  provide  for  the  constantly 
fluctuating  levels,  as  the  weight  added  to  or  withdrawn 
from  the  transport,  brings  It  down  or  raises  It  In  the 
water,  a  system  of  powerful  balance  arms  is  employed. 
The  apron  hangs  from  one  end  of  these  arms,  while 
from  the  other  end  arc  counterweights  aggregating 
forty  tons.  The  whole  mechanism  is  controlled  by  elec- 
tric machinery,  so  that  by  the  touch  of  a  lever  the  outer 
end  of  the  apron  is  raised  or  lowered  to  the  level  of  the 
vessel's  deck,  the  Inner  end  working  on  rockers.     The 


THE    RAILWAY   TRANSPORTS        205 

loading   and  unloading   from   different   tracks   may  pro- 
gress  at   the   same  time. 

The  fleet  of  ten  car  transports  on  the  Detroit  River 
comprises : 

Michigan  Central 

Transport 797  tons  265  X  45,  built  in  1880 

Michigan  Central 1,000     "  276  X  45  "     "  1884 

Transfer 1,060     "  278  X  75  "     "  1888 

Detroit 1,307     "  308  X  64  "     "  1904 

Grand  Trunk 

Huron 1,052  tons     250  length,  built  in  1875 

Great  Western 1,080     "        232      "  "     "  1866 

Landsdowne i,57i     "       306      "  "     "  1884 

Canadian  Pacific 

Ontario      1,615  tons     308  length,  built  in  1890 

Michigan 1,615     "       3o6      "  "     "  1891 

Pere  Marquette-Wabash 
Pere  Marquette  No.  14 1,655  tons     350  X  52,  built  In  1904 

All  of  these  transports  are  of  iron  or  steel  excepting 
the  Great  Western,  built  in  1866.  In  addition  to  this 
fleet  the  Pere  Marquette  line  operates  the  transport  In- 
ternational on  the  St.  Clair  River  between  Port  Huron 
and  Sarnia.  With  one  exception  this  steamer  is  the  oldest 
ferry  now  in  service,  having  been  built  in  1872.  It  is  of 
iron,  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length,  and  of  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  tons'  register. 

The  ten  transports  at  Detroit  average  for  every  hour 
of  every  day  in  the  year  about  six  round  trips,  and  as  the 
distance  is  from  one  to  two  miles,  according  to  the  loca- 
tion of  the  terminal  docks,  they  travel  in  the  aggregate 
during  the  twelve  months  as  far  as  three  times  around 
the  earth.  Originally  they  carried  twenty-four  cars  in  a 
passage,  but  railroad  equipment  has  so  increased  in  size 


2o6  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

of  late  years  that  (the  cars  now  built  being  twenty  per 
cent  longer)  they  can  take  on  only  about  eighteen  or  twenty 
cars,  as  they  now  run  In  a  train.  All  of  the  cars  ferried 
are  not  loads,  however,  as  the  bulk  of  the  traffic  is  east- 
bound,  and  many  cars  are  returned  to  the  West  empty. 
A  nearly  accurate  estimate  of  the  loads  on  the  basis  of 
six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  cars  at  an  average  of 
forty  tons  each,  gives  twenty-six  million  tons  transported 
across  the  river  in  a  year.  In  1907  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral transports  made  exactly  twenty-seven  thousand,  four 
hundred  and  seventy-nine  trips,  and  carried  four  hundred 
and  forty-eight  thousand,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  cars. 

Besides  the  tremendous  freight  traffic  of  the  trunk 
lines,  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  limited  and  express 
trains  are  ferried  across  the  river  every  twenty-four  hours. 
The  operation  of  cutting  a  "  limited  "  in  sections,  switch- 
ing them  on  the  transport,  ferrying  across  the  river,  re- 
switching  and  connecting  up  of  the  sections,  and  shunting 
into  the  passenger  station,  requires  from  thirty  to  forty 
minutes.  Travellers,  as  a  rule,  find  the  train  ferry  across 
the  busy  river,  which  looks  so  peaceful  and  blue,  a  pleas- 
ant incident  in  their  journey,  and  reluctantly  lose  sight  of 
the  picture  of  marine  activity,  as  a  fresh  locomotive  hooks 
on  the  train  and  speeds  it  on  its  way.  The  ferrying  of 
freight  trains  is  not  so  expedited,  however,  and  from  two 
to  three  hours  are  required  for  live-stock,  dressed  beef, 
and  other  perishables,  while  from  five  to  twelve  hours' 
delay  occurs  for  bulk  freight.  Expediting  the  ferrying 
of  the  passenger  and  express  traffic,  as  well  as  the  perish- 
able freight,  only  delays  the  regular  shipments  the  more. 

The  powerful  transports  are  able  to  maintain  regular 
service  during  the  Winter  because  they  are  so  constructed 
as  to  be  most  formidable  ice-crushers.  Their  prows  are 
so  shaped  that  they  plough  through  ordinary  ice  fields 
as  if  the  thick  ice  were  nothing  but  paper.  But  in  the 
depths  of  Winter  the  river  is  often  blocked  with 
ice,  sometimes  in  solid  fields  to  its  bed,  and  again  in  great 


Ferry  SyiiNTE  Marie,  Straits  of   Mackinac 


^^H^^HHH^HB^^A.. 


Car  transport   Trassfer   at  nocK 


THE    RAILWAY   TRANSPORTS         207 

banks  of  jagged,  grinding  blocks.  At  such  times  the 
transport  is  forced  up  on  the  high  irregular  field,  and  by 
its  very  weight  crushes  and  forces  the  ice  beneath  its 
bow.  Progress  under  such  conditions  is  slow  and  labori- 
ous, and  when  the  passage  is  impassable,  a  transport 
forces  its  way  miles  down  the  river  and  wallows  about 
until  it  has  formed  a  huge  air  hole.  Then  it  climbs  the 
side  of  the  ice  floe  or  jam  and  loosens  it.  In  this  way 
a  strong  current  is  created  in  the  river,  the  obstruction  to 
navigation  is  carried  away,  and  a  free  passage  afforded 
the  craft  for  perhaps  a  week.  Unless  the  weather  mod- 
erates the  ice  jam  soon  forms  again  and  the  channel  must 
be  cleared  as  before. 

Sometimes  an  express  or  passenger  train  will  be  held 
in  the  stream  for  hours  while  the  transport  is  fast  in  the 
ice,  generally  near  the  slip,  as  making  the  landing  is 
the  most  difficult  task  of  navigation  of  the  ferries.  In 
January,  1901,  the  transport  Michigan  with  the  Chicago- 
Montreal  flier  was  stuck  for  ten  hours  so  near  the  slip 
that  a  long  plank  would  almost  reach  from  the  deck  to 
the  dock.  There  were  more  than  a  hundred  passengers 
on  board  and  the  night  was  pitch  dark.  Captain  Jenking 
worked  the  transport  forward  and  back  —  forward  and 
back  —  for  hours,  but  the  bank  of  ice  remained  firm.  The 
passengers  became  much  exercised  at  the  long  delay;  they 
quickly  cleared  out  the  larder  in  the  diner,  and  from  en- 
gine room  to  pilot  house,  there  rose  a  loud  wail  of 
indignation  and  fear.  Finally,  about  daylight,  the  trans- 
ports Great  Western  and  Landsdowne  managed  to 
reach  the  imprisoned  vessel,  and  their  united  efforts 
broke  up  the  jam,  and  the  Michigan  was  forced  into  her 
slip. 

In  order  to  avoid  such  delays  so  far  as  possible  two  of 
the  transports  are  provided  with  additional  power.  One 
of  these,  the  ferry  Transport,  besides  the  side  paddle- 
wheels,  has  a  bow  propeller,  and  the  Detroit  has  two  pro- 
pellers in  the  bow,  in  addition  to  twin-screws  at  the  stern 


2o8  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

for  the  main  motive  power.  These  extra  screws  are  used 
only  in  winter  to  draw  out  the  ice  from  the  sHps  by  the 
suction  thus  created,  large  blocks  being  whirled  beneath 
the  surface  and  away  toward  the  stern  in  a  surprising 
manner.  The  additional  power  is  also  a  great  aid  in 
times  of  serious  jams  or  when  the  transport  is  aground. 
This  sometimes  occurs  in  thirty  or  forty  feet  of  water 
although  their  normal  draft  is  only  twelve  to  fifteen  feet. 
It  is  due  to  slush  ice  which  forms  on  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel  at  the  bow,  and  is  hardened  into  a  solid  compact 
mass,  much  like  the  "  heeling-up  "  of  the  snow  on  a 
horse's  hoof.  It  accumulates  as  the  bow  is  forced  into  the 
snow  which  covers  the  ice  floes  in  the  crushing  process, 
until  it  is  several  feet  in  thickness.  When  a  ferry  runs 
aground  from  this  cause  it  is  helpless,  and  only  the  com- 
bined power  of  other  ferries  is  sufHcient  to  release  it, 
sometimes  after  hours  of  delay. 

But  even  in  Summer  the  river  navigation  Is  not 
always  free  and  uninterrupted.  Fogs  settle  down  over 
the  stream  at  times  and  whatever  craft  are  caught,  anchor 
as  quickly  as  their  "  hooks  "  can  be  dropped.  The  Lands- 
downe  was  once  caught  in  a  thick  bank  of  fog,  in  the  Sum- 
mer of  1906,  with  a  Wild  West  show  aboard,  and  was 
held  in  midstream  until  eleven  o'clock  the  next  morning. 
Meanwhile  the  cow-boys  and  Indians  raised  a  "  circus  " 
on  board,  threatening  to  shoot  the  pilot  house  and  the 
whole  crew  into  the  river,  and  to  scuttle  the  ship,  unless 
they  were  landed  In  time  to  pitch  their  tents  and  form 
their  parade.  All  the  thundering  expletives,  however, 
failed  to  move  Captain  McGregor  in  his  resolve  to  abide 
by  the  rules  of  river  navigation,  and  remain  in  his  safe 
anchorage. 

The  car  ferries  of  the  lake  routes,  which  link  the  State 
of  Michigan  to  the  great  Northwest,  and  the  East,  are  of 
very  different  construction  from  the  river  transports. 
They  arc  dccp-hullcd  vessels  of  steel  and  of  great  struc- 
tural strength,  and  with  powerful  engines  they  ply  back 


THE   RAILWAY   TRANSPORTS        209 

and  forth  across  Lake  Michigan,  the  Straits  of  Macki- 
nac, and  Lake  Erie,  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  in  winter  and 
in  summer.  Like  the  river  ferries  they  are  ice-crushers, 
but  of  greater  size  and  power.  During  two  or  three  of 
the  winter  months  the  lakes  are  frozen  in  a  solid  sheet  of 
ice  for  twenty  or  thirty  miles  from  the  shores,  and  in  ex- 
tremely severe  winters  the  ice  fields  meet  in  mid-lake. 
To  keep  a  channel  open  in  the  depth  of  winter,  even  for 
daily  passages  back  and  forth,  is  a  hazardous  undertak- 
ing for  the  hardy  mariners.  The  frequent  gales  which 
sweep  the  lakes  break  up  the  fields  into  ice  floes  which, 
driven  one  way  or  another  with  great  force,  pile  up  in 
huge  banks,  often  in  the  direct  course  of  the  transports 
and  as  high  as  their  upper  decks.  At  such  times  they 
free  themselves  only  after  repeated  bucking  of  the  shift- 
ing mass  of  ice,  sometimes  miles  in  extent,  by  running 
their  stout  prow  up  on  the  edge  of  the  mass,  breaking  it 
down  by  their  sheer  weight,  and  ploughing  through  the 
ragged,  grinding  blocks  of  ice  thus  formed. 

The  main  deck  of  the  lake  transports  is  given  up  en- 
tirely to  car  space.  There  are  generally  four  tracks  run- 
ning lengthways  of  the  vessel,  but  the  loading  and  unload- 
ing end  is  at  the  stern,  instead  of  the  bow,  as  with  the 
river  ferries.  The  hull  is  built  up  about  eighteen  feet 
above  this  deck  and  extends  to  the  extreme  bow.  The 
upper  deck,  which  is  fitted  up  with  luxurious  cabins,  state- 
rooms, dining-saloon,  and  all  conveniences  for  the  large 
passenger  traffic  crossing  the  lakes,  gives  the  leviathan, 
from  a  bow  view,  the  appearance  of  a  package  freighter. 
But,  as  it  passes  before  one,  the  illusion  is  dispelled,  as  the 
ends  of  four  sections  of  a  through  train  are  seen  at  the 
stern.  Looking  forward  through  the  deck  from  the  stern 
when  the  tracks  are  free  of  cars,  the  impression  formed  is 
of  twin  subways,  dark  and  gloomy,  double  tracks  in  each, 
the  bright  rails  of  which  are  lost  in  the  blackness  of  the 
bow,  and  a  midship  section  between  the  subways  given 
over  to  the  funnels,  engine  vents,  and  passages.     Above 


2IO  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

the  upper  dack  are  the  pilot  house,  officers'  cabins,  life- 
boats, and  other  hamper  of  a  passenger  steamer. 

In  the  Lake  Michigan  service  there  are  in  all  thirteen 
of  these  huge  car  ferries.  The  largest  fleet  and  the  most 
important  commerce  route  is  that  of  the  Pere  Marquette 
with  six  splendidly  equipped  transports,  five  of  which  are 
uniform  in  size  and  power,  and  the  largest  on  the  lakes. 
In  addition  to  these  the  steamship  line  owns  four  large 
freight  and  passenger  steamers  engaged  in  the  salt  and 
package  freight  business  across  Lake  Michigan.  The 
main  lines,  however,  through  which  flows  the  bulk  of  the 
traffic,  arc  Ludington,  in  Michigan,  and  Manitowoc,  Mil- 
waukee, and  Kewaunee,  on  the  Wisconsin  side.  Another 
route  is  in  operation  between  Muskegon  and  Milwaukee, 
while  passenger  steamers  ply  between  Ottawa  Beach  and 
Milwaukee,  The  principal  freight  traffic  is  eastbound, 
and  consists  of  grain,  flour,  malt,  canned  goods,  fish, 
lumber,  and  general  merchandise,  destined  for  various 
points  in  the  Eastern  States.  On  the  return  trips  the  cars 
are  laden  with  numerous  products  of  the  East,  principally 
manufactured  goods,  coal,  steel,  structural  materials,  ce- 
ment, besides  furniture,  automobiles,  drugs,  stoves,  and 
brass-finished  goods  made  in  the  industrial  centres  of 
Michigan.  The  routes  vary  in  length  from  sixty  miles 
to  Manitowoc  to  ninety-five  miles  to  Milwaukee,  and  a 
transport  averages  a  round  trip,  including  loading  and 
unloading,  in  twenty-four  hours.  They  carry  thirty 
loaded  cars  on  a  single  trip  averaging  forty  tons  each  of 
merchandise,  and  during  the  regular  navigation  season 
a  fuir  complement  of  passengers.  They  are  profit  pro- 
ducing factors  of  the  trans-Michigan  railroad,  aside  from 
their  chief  value  as  feeders. 

The  Ann  Arbor  Railway  line  operates  four  transports 
from  Frankfort,  its  western  terminal,  to  Manitowoc  and 
Kewaunee,  in  Wisconsin,  and  Menominee  and  Manis- 
tique,  in  upper  Michigan.  These  transports,  which  with 
one  exception  arc  not  so  large  and  powerful  as  the  more 


THE    RAILWAY   TRANSPORTS         211 

modern  steamers,  cover  routes  from  sIxty-sIx  to  ninety 
miles  long,  carrying  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  cars 
in  a  single  trip.  A  tri-weekly  service  is  maintained  during 
the  navigation  season  from  Frankfort  to  the  upper  Michi- 
gan ports  named,  and  Kewaunee,  and  a  daily  service  from 
Frankfort  to  Manitowoc  throughout  the  year.  The  traf- 
fic of  this  line  consists  of  very  much  the  same  com- 
modities as  the  Pere  Marquette.  Still  farther  north  the 
Grand  Rapids  and  Indiana  Railroad  operates  one  trans- 
port between  Northport  and  Manistique,  a  distance  of 
about  seventy-four  miles.  It  is  of  the  largest  type  of  car 
ferry,  and  during  the  navigation  season,  makes  trips  as 
often  as  the  traffic  warrants. 

Between  Grand  Haven  and  Milwaukee  is  the  route  of 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  line,  which,  besides  a  number 
of  stanch  passenger  and  package  freighters,  operates 
one  transport.  The  distance  is  eighty-four  miles,  and 
daily  trips  are  maintained  by  all  steamers.  The  Lake 
Michigan  Car  Ferry  Transit  Company  operates  two  trans- 
ports of  large  size  between  Chicago  and  ports  up  the  lake. 
Michigan  City,  St.  Joseph,  and  Benton  Harbor,  and 
South  Haven  are  other  important  ports  on  the  east  shore. 

Coming  down  the  lakes  there  are  found  at  the  Straits 
of  Mackinac,  two  car  ferries  operated  by  the  Mackinac 
Transportation  Company.  They  connect  the  upper  Michi- 
gan railroads  with  the  Michigan  Central  and  the  Grand 
Rapids  and  Indiana  railways  in  an  important  north-and- 
south  traffic.  Passenger  trains  as  well  as  freight  are 
transported  across  the  straits  between  Mackinaw  City 
and  St.  Ignace,  a  distance  of  about  five  miles,  and  the 
business  is  heavy  at  all  times  of  the  year. 

The  car  transports  of  the  lakes,  classified  according  to 
the  lines  operating  them,  are : 


212  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

ON   LAKE   MICHIGAN 
Pere  Marquette 
Pere  Marquette 1,634  tons,    350  X  56,  built  in  1896 


Pere  Marquette  No.  16 1,3 17 

"77 1,685 

"     /<? 1,722 

"     /p 1,548 

"           "           "20 1,495 

Ann  Arbor 


300  X  53 
350  X  56 
35°  X  56 
350  X  56 
350  X  56 


"  189s 
1901 
1902 
1903 
1903 


Ann  Arbor  No.    I 563  tons,  274  X  53,  built  in  1892 

"       "2 572     "  278  X  53        "     "  1892 

"      "5 272     "  272  X  52        "     "  1898 

"      "4 1,317     "  300X53        "     "1902 

Lake  Michigan  C.  F.  Transit  Company 

Car  Ferry  No.   I 1,463  tons,    320  X  44,  built  in  1895 

"         "       ".2 1,462     "       320  X  44        "     "  1895 

Grand  Rapids  and  Indiana 

Manistique,  Marquette,  and 

Northern  No.  i 1,755  tons,    350  X  $6,  built  in  1903 

Grand  Trunk 

Grand  Haven 1,678  tons,    320  X  54,  built  in  1903 

Mackinac  Transportation  Company 

Saint  Marie 678  tons,    300  X  53,  built  in  1893 

Saint  Ignace 600     "       230  X  52        "     "  1888 

ON  LAKE  ERIE 

Marquette-Bessemer  Dock  and  Navigation  Company 

Shenango  No.  2 1,320  tons  net,  300  X  53,  built  in  1895 

Marquette  and  Bessemer  No.  i        998     "  "     256  X  42  "     "  1903 

"     2  *  1,484     "  "     3';o  X  54  "     "  190S 

Ashtabula      1,722    "  "     350  X  56  "    "  1906 

*  Lost,  December,  1909,  with  all  lives. 


THE   RAILWAY   TRANSPORTS         213 

The  car  transports  on  Lake  Erie  are  engaged  ex- 
clusively in  the  coal  trade  which  originates  in  the  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania  coal  fields,  and  reaches  out  to  all 
points  in  Canada  and  the  Northwest.  Several  routes 
are  operated  from  Conneaut,  Ohio,  to  Port  Dover,  Port 
Stanley,  and  Rondeau,  on  the  Canadian  side,  in  which  the 
Pere  Marquette  with  its  line  across  Ontario  to  Sarnia  and 
Michigan  and  thence  to  the  Western  States,  largely  enters. 
The  transport  system  was  introduced  on  Lake  Erie  in 
1895  by  the  Shenango  No.  i  and  the  Shenango  No.  2, 
which  were  ice  crushers  of  three  thousand,  five  hundred 
horse-power,  and  with  a  car  capacity  of  twenty-six.  The 
No.  I  burned  at  Conneaut  in  1906.  In  1904  another 
type,  which  is  not  of  the  transport  class,  was  built  and 
placed  on  the  coal  route  between  Conneaut  and  Rondeau. 
Instead  of  the  cars  being  transported  across  the  lake, 
they  were  run  on  the  vessel,  and  their  contents  dumped 
through  the  hopper  bottoms  and  the  open  deck,  into 
the  hold.  Ten  cars  can  be  unloaded  by  this  method  in 
less  than  a  minute,  and  the  cars  drawn  off.  The  Mar- 
quette and  Bessemer  No.  i  can  carry  two  thousand,  five 
hundred  tons  net  of  soft  coal  in  the  bulk.  Upon  arrival  at 
port  across  the  lake,  four  grapple  unloaders  remove  the 
cargo  in  eight  hours.  The  loss  of  time  and  the  expense 
of  unloading  Is  partly  offset  by  the  greatly  Increased 
carrying  capacity,  which  is  more  than  double  that  of  the 
other  method. 

The  latest  route  was  established  In  1906-7  from  Ashta- 
bula, the  world's  largest  ore-receiving  port,  to  Port  Bur- 
well,  in  Canada,  by  the  new  transport  Ashtabula,  the  best 
equipped  vessel  of  its  class  on  the  lakes.  It  Is  in  advance 
of  other  transports  In  being  constructed  with  water  bot- 
tom, ballast  tanks,  and  eight  transverse  water-tight  bulk- 
heads of  steel.  Six  of  these  bulkheads  extend  to  the  main 
or  car  deck,  and  two  to  the  lower  deck.  The  water  In 
the  compartments  is  easily  controlled  by  ballast  pumps, 
and  by  filling  some  and  emptying  others,  the  trim  of  the 


214  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

vessel  Is  so  governed  as  to  materially  aid  in  the  progress 
through  ice  and  in  gales.  The  transport  is  propelled  by 
twin  screws,  driven  by  two  triple-expansion  engines  with 
cylinders  nineteen  and  one-half,  thirty-one,  and  fifty-two 
inches  in  diameter  by  thirty-six  inches  stroke.  Steam  is 
supplied  under  high  pressure  by  four  Scotch  boilers.  To 
expedite  the  service  of  this  huge  transport,  new  cars  were 
constructed,  thirty-eight  feet  long,  and  of  sixty  tons'  ca- 
pacity. Thirty  of  these  cars  are  carried  in  a  single  trip. 
The  transport  easily  makes  two  trips  back  and  forth  every 
twenty-four  hours.  In  its  official  test  it  covered  the  dis- 
tance to  Port  Burwell  and  return  in  nine  hours  and 
twenty-five  minutes,  at  an  average  speed,  under  load,  and 
with  a  sea  running,  of  fifteen  and  one-fourth  miles  an  hour. 
This  Is  the  record  for  car  ferries  on  the  lakes. 

When  any  of  the  lake  transports  leave  port  In  winter, 
if  for  no  more  than  a  few  hours'  run,  they  are  always 
supplied  with  a  full  stock  of  provisions  sufficient  for  at 
least  three  weeks.  This  is  to  provide  for  an  emergency 
in  case  the  ferry  is  frozen  fast  in  the  ice  floes  en  route. 
Many  instances  are  recalled  when  a  transport  was  im- 
prisoned for  days  at  a  time  In  a  seemingly  Impassable 
barrier  of  solid  Ice,  piled  up  In  hummocks  and  badly 
windrowed.  It  floated  about  with  the  ice  field  as  the  wind 
drove  the  huge  mass  about  the  lake,  and  sometimes  only 
a  moderation  of  the  weather  or  change  of  wind  weakened 
the  ice  so  that  the  steamer  could  release  itself.  In  such 
cases  members  of  the  crew  often  walk  ashore  on  the  ice. 

Another  great  danger  to  the  car  ferries  Is  the  difficulty 
of  making  port  In  gales,  when  the  short,  choppy  seas 
raised  on  the  lakes  sweep  over  the  breakwater  of  the  har- 
bor. Many  times  the  captain  Is  obliged  to  "  lay  to  "  out 
in  the  lake  for  the  gale  to  blow  itself  out,  not  daring  to 
venture  Into  the  comparatively  narrow  entrance  of  the 
harbor.  One  of  the  largest  transports  on  Lake  Michigan 
went  ashore  when  under  full  load,  in  the  Fall  of  1908,  and 
for  nearly  a  week  the  combined  power  of  two  or  three 


THE    RAILWAY   TRANSPORTS         215 

of  her  sister  ships  was  not  sufficient  to  pull  her  off.  A 
fortunate  shift  of  wind  and  a  rise  in  the  lake  level  re- 
leased her  one  night,  and  she  drifted  away  some  distance 
before  the  wreckers  were  aware  of  what  had  happened. 
There  are  many  thrilling  experiences  in  the  lives  of  the 
sturdy  mariners  of  the  Inland  Seas,  but  none  can  equal 
those  which  the  transport  service  involves. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

THE    ERA    OF    STEEL    AND    THE    PACKAGE    FREIGHTERS 

Evolution  of  Steam  Barge  to  Wooden  Steamship  —  Large  Cargo  Capac- 
ity —  Davidson  Fleet  —  The  Advent  of  the  Whaleback  —  Its  Con- 
struction —  Importance  of  Small  Freighter  —  Needed  for  Traffic 
OF  Lesser  Ports  of  Shallow  Channels  —  Boutell  Barge  —  Anchor 
Line  Steamers  —  Western  Transit  Company  —  JvIutual  Transit 
Company  —  Lehigh  Valley  —  Inter-Lake  Commerce  by  Welland  and 
St.  Lawrence  Canals  —  Vessels  in  this  Service  —  Decline  and 
Reasons  for  It  —  Steel  Canal  Boats,  Cleveland  to  New  York. 

COULD  Henry  Hudson  come  back  in  the  flesh  to 
compare  his  Half  Moon  with  the  stately  vessel 
which  bears  his  name;  could  John  Paul  Jones  likewise 
appear  to  recall  his  cherished  BonJiomme  Richard  be- 
fore the  modern  battleship  Delaware;  or  could  Robert 
Fulton  with  his  famous  Clermont  in  mind  walk  the  decks 
of  a  turbine-driven  Atlantic  liner,  their  wonderment  would 
know  no  bounds.  Or  could  those  early  navigators  of  the 
inland  waters  come  back  to  life  to  compare  the  Griffin,  the 
Washington,  the  Astor,  or  later,  since  the  beginning  of 
the  era  of  steam,  the  W alk-in-the-lV ater ,  or  the  Vandalia, 
with  the  splendid  lake  liners,  the  great  fleets  of  passenger 
and  excursion  steamers,  and  the  gigantic  ore  ships  of 
to-day,  they  would  realize  what  great  strides  have  been 
taken  In  marine  architecture  during  the  last  three 
centuries. 

Scarcely  less  remarkable  Is  the  transition  from  wood 
and  Iron  to  steel,  as  applied  to  a  peculiar  and  distinct 
type  of  vessels  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  trade 
along  the  chain  of  Great  Lakes.  The  evolution  of  the 
lake  carrier  presents  some  features  of  unusual  interest. 
Ihe  incentive  to  enlargement  and  improvement  of  service 


THE   ERA    OF   STEEL  217 

respecting  speed  and  safety  lay  in  the  ever  increasing 
volume  of  trade  in  the  lakes  region  and  the  consequent 
traffic  offered  the  water  highways.  As  has  been  shown, 
steam  navigation  was  introduced  at  a  time  when  the  re- 
quirements of  commerce  were  easily  accommodated  by 
the  then  prevailing  type  of  sailing  vessel,  A  little  while 
after,  the  tide  of  immigration  into  the  West  created 
greater  demands  in  the  way  of  expedition,  which  brought 
about  a  wave  of  shipbuilding.  This  new  shipping  was 
largely  of  the  steam-propelled  type,  and  gradually  the 
slower  going  and  uncertain  sailing  vessels  were  driven  out 
of  the  immigrant  and  merchandise  trade,  and  found  a 
place  in  the  carrying  of  bulk  or  coarse  commodities,  such 
as  salt,  lumber,  and  wood. 

As  the  years  went  by  the  big  side-wheelers  operated 
by  the  railroads  and  independent  lines  were  crowded  out 
of  the  increasing  trade  by  the  slower  propellers,  due  to 
their  greater  carrying  capacity  in  proportion  to  their  ton- 
nage, and  less  expense  of  operation.  Then  came  the 
era  of  iron  and  the  construction  of  a  number  of  large, 
stanch,  and  luxurious  steamers,  as  viewed  by  seafaring 
men  of  the  time,  the  early  seventies.  The  cost  of  iron 
vessels  was  much  greater  than  those  of  the  same  size  and 
capacity  built  of  stout  wood,  for  oak  and  other  timber  was 
then  abundant  throughout  the  lake  region,  and  all  the 
shipyards  were  equipped  for  such  work  and  the  experi- 
ence of  many  years  lay  back  of  it.  For  these  reasons  the 
next  step  in  the  evolution  was  the  big  wooden  steam  barge 
that  carried  from  one  thousand,  two  hundred  to  one  thou- 
sand, five  hundred  tons  in  her  hold,  and  towed  a  sailing 
vessel  in  her  wake. 

This  type  was  followed  in  the  late  eighties  and  in  the 
nineties  by  the  fine  wooden  steamship  and  consorts  of 
large  capacity,  such  as  are  of  considerable  importance 
in  the  lake  shipping  to  this  day.  Steamers  and  schooners 
of  this  type  were  built  as  late  as  1903,  at  which  time  the 
supply  of  oak  timber  suitable  for  ship  material  became 


2i8  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

practically  exhausted,  and  the  price  which  It  commanded 
rendered  further  shipbuilding  from  wood  on  the  Inland 
Seas,  an  industry  of  the  past.  For  many  years  the  ship- 
yard of  James  Davidson,  at  Bay  City,  was  one  of  the 
largest  and  best  for  such  construction  on  fresh  water. 
After  the  demand  for  new  tonnage  of  wood  had  ceased 
along  in  the  nineties,  the  yard  still  continued  building  the 
largest  wooden  vessels  ever  built  anywhere,  and  to-day 
the  Davidson  fleet  of  fourteen  vessels  is  the  best  of  its 
class  afloat  upon  any  waters  of  America. 

All  the  vessels  of  this  fleet  were  built  within  the  ten 
years  next  after  1893,  and  comprise  seven  steamers,  sev^en 
barges,  schooner  rigged,  and  three  tugs.  Five  of  the 
steamers  and  four  of  the  barges  are  in  the  three-hundred- 
feet  class  or  larger,  ranging  in  size  from  three  hundred 
and  twelve  feet  length  and  forty-four  feet  beam  to  three 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet  length  by  forty-six  feet 
beam,  and  registering  from  two  thousand,  two  hundred 
to  two  thousand,  eight  hundred  tons,  with  a  large  cargo 
capacity  of  about  five  thousand  tons  each.  The  entire 
fleet  measures  nearly  thirty  thousand  tons,  which  gives  a 
capacity  exceeding  fifty  thousand  tons  in  a  single  trip. 
The  barge  Montezuma,  three  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
feet  in  length  and  forty-six  feet  beam,  is  probably  the 
largest  wooden  vessel  ever  built  and  launched  in  fresh 
water. 

Besides  this  fleet  there  are  upward  of  one  hundred 
steamers  and  about  ten  barges  of  wood  in  the  classes 
measuring  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  and  over, 
many  of  which  are  nearly  three  hundred  feet,  and  of 
forty-two  to  forty-four  feet  beam,  all  owned  and  operated 
by  small  independent  lines,  and  may  be  termed  "  tramp 
ships."  They  are  engaged  principally  in  the  grain  and 
coal  trade  between  the  head  of  the  lakes  and  Buffalo  or 
other  Lake  Erie  ports.  While  the  old  steam  barges  and 
the  small  schooners,  some  of  which  date  back  to  sixties 
and  seventies,  arc  fast  disappearing  from  the  lakes  ma^ 


THE    ERA   OF   STEEL  219 

rine,  the  stanch  wooden  ship  will  likely  continue  a  factor 
in  the  carrying  trade  for  a  number  of  years  to  come. 

The  era  of  steel  shipbuilding  was  heralded  by  the 
appearance  of  cigar-shaped  vessels,  known  as  "  whale- 
backs  "  or  "  pigs,"  which  constitute  the  most  picturesque 
oddity  of  the  fresh-water  fleet.  The  type  was  invented 
about  1889  by  Captain  Alexander  McDougall,  and 
within  five  or  six  years  forty-five  such  vessels  compris- 
ing both  steamers  and  barges  were  built  at  Duluth. 
They  were  designed  primarily  for  the  ore-carrying  trade, 
and  derive  their  name  from  the  fact  that  their  main  deck 
of  steel  is  rounded  off  at  the  sides,  very  much  resembling 
the  back  of  a  whale.  The  ore  cargo  can  be  stored  away 
very  snugly  in  the  cylindrical-shaped  holds,  and  with 
hatches  bolted  down  and  rendered  water-tight,  the  vessels 
are  seaworthy  to  a  remarkable  degree  and  will  outride 
any  storm  or  gale.  For  this  reason  it  was  at  first  believed 
that  the  whaleback  would  come  into  general  use  in  the 
ore  and  coal  trade,  but  these  expectations  have  not  been 
realized. 

About  the  time  of  the  opening  up  of  the  Mesaba  Range 
in  Minnesota,  the  whaleback  company  took  a  fifteen 
years'  contract  to  carry  the  ore  to  Lake  Erie  ports,  and 
the  shipyard  was  turning  out  two  or  three  vessels  a  month. 
But  the  Rockefeller  interests  in  the  company  became  dom- 
inant, the  contracts,  patents,  and  everything  else  were 
secured,  and  the  fleet  tied  up.  While  they  were  fighting 
the  Carnegie  Company  the  loss  was  at  least  four  million 
dollars,  which  represented  the  money  the  fleet  would  have 
earned  had  it  been  continued  in  commission  under  the 
contract.  After  this  a  few  whalebacks  were  sent  to  the 
Atlantic  Coast  where  they  are  engaged  in  the  coal  trade- 
As  they  were  too  long  to  enter  the  locks  of  the  Welland 
Canal,  they  had  to  be  cut  in  two,  taken  through  the  canal 
in  sections,  and  put  together  at  the  Ontario  end.  They 
rode  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence  safely;  and  in  the 
Dominion  cities  and  those  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  they 


220  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

created  no  end  of  wonderment  and  suffered  much  de- 
rision by  the  salt-water  "  tars,"  who  never  have  respect 
for  anything  that  floats  on  fresh  water,  which  to  them  is 
not  fit  to  navigate. 

When  the  war  of  the  competing  iron  and  steel  interests 
was  ended  by  the  formation  of  the  United  States  Steel 
Corporation,  and  the  absorption,  with  the  other  properties, 
of  the  ore-carrying  fleets  owned  by  the  various  steel  com- 
panies, there  were  about  twenty-five  whaleback  steamers 
and  barges  in  the  vast  fleet  thus  formed.  They  were  a 
distinct  and  homogeneous  fleet  of  themselves,  although  of 
different  sizes  and  tonnage.  Some  of  the  steamers  were 
in  the  three  hundred  feet  class,  towing  barges  one  hundred 
feet  longer,  and  carrying  nearly  double  their  cargo.  The 
tendency  every  year  was  toward  larger  and  faster 
steamers,  and  by  1896  the  whaleback  had  increased  in 
size  to  four  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in  length  by  fifty 
feet  beam,  and  twenty-seven  feet  depth,  of  carrying  ca- 
pacity about  nine  thousand  tons  on  twenty  feet  draft.  Al- 
though no  more  whalebacks  were  built  after  that  time, 
there  are  about  forty  still  in  commission  on  the  lakes, 
chiefly  in  the  ore  trade. 

The  construction  of  the  whaleback  is  a  radical  departure 
from  the  well  established  methods  of  shipbuilding,  but 
even  greater  strength  and  rigidity  has  been  attained  than 
in  the  usual  type  of  vessel.  As  a  first  consideration  the 
keel  and  bottom  are  carried  upward  from  a  point  seventy- 
five  to  one  hundred  feet  forward,  on  an  easy  curve,  and 
terminate  in  a  round  "  snoot,"  well  above  the  water  line 
on  load  draft.  About  thirty  feet  back  of  this  there  is 
a  low  turret,  the  top  of  which  is  a  convenient  and  safe 
vantage  point  for  the  lookout  in  rough  weather.  Within 
the  turret  are  housed  the  steam  capstan  and  other  small 
gear  required  at  the  bow.  The  long  stretch  of  deck  is 
clear  for  the  numerous  hatches  which  expedite  the  load- 
ing and  discharging  of  the  cargo,  a  feature  of  the  utmost 
importance  in  present-day  methods  of  waterway  traffic. 


THE   ERA   OF   STEEL  221 

The  engines  and  boilers,  including  coal  bunkers  and 
auxiliary  machinery,  such  as  steam  steering  gear,  pumps, 
winches,  and  electric  lighting  plant,  are  placed  in  the  ex- 
treme stern,  behind  a  water-tight  bulkhead  of  steel,  thus 
forming  for  it  a  separate  compartment.  Above  the  main 
deck  and  supported  by  another  turret  is  the  wheel  house 
and  chart  room.  The  smoke  funnel  and  piping  passes 
through  the  turret;  and  back  of  it  are  the  crew's  quarters, 
and  galley,  while  above  on  the  upper  deck  are  the  cap- 
tain's and  others  officers'  cabins. 

Besides  these  cargo  vessels  one  whaleback  passenger 
steamer  was  built  —  one  of  the  largest  of  that  class 
ever  built  on  the  Inland  Seas.  This  is  the  Christopher 
Columbus,  of  World's  Fair  fame,  which  during  the  Sum- 
mer of  1893  carried  one  million,  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand passengers  between  Jackson  Park  and  the  down-town 
wharfs.  Built  at  Duluth  during  the  preceding  year  she 
came  to  Chicago  new  and  fresh  and  resplendent  with  all 
upper  works  of  a  glistening  whiteness,  and  proved  one  of 
the  wonders  of  the  exposition.  Designed  especially  for 
the  exacting  service,  which  in  the  short  trip  of  six  miles 
demanded  that  throngs  of  people  be  taken  on  and  dis- 
embarked many  times  every  day,  the  decks  and  stairways 
can  handle  immense  crowds,  and  fully  five  thousand  have 
been  unloaded  in  five  minutes. 

In  this  age  of  progress  and  growth  of  transportation 
facilities  the  enlargement  of  ships  has  gone  on  apace, 
and  the  importance  of  the  small  steamer  of  one  thousand 
to  one  thousand,  five  hundred  tons'  burden  has  almost 
been  overlooked  by  the  vessel  owners.  As  the  old  steam 
barge  and  their  tows  drop  out  of  service,  one  by  one, 
there  is  practically  nothing  being  built  to  replace  them. 
In  many  divisions  of  commerce  they  will  never  be  missed 
or  again  needed,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  some 
coarse  freights,  such  as  salt,  stone,  and  products  of  the 
forest  that  will  never  be  carried  by  the  big  steamers. 
From  their  very  size  and  tonnage  they  are  barred  from 


222  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

such  business,  not  only  by  the  limitations  of  the  navi- 
gable channels  of  the  lesser  ports,  but  also  by  the  small 
volume  of  the  trade  which  can  be  done  at  one  time  In 
such  ports.  And,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  where  a 
profitable  cargo  might  be  taken  In,  there  would  be  nothing 
to  offer  for  a  return  cargo,  and  In  such  traffic  this  is  an 
all-important  consideration.  The  time  Is  not  far  away 
when  steel  steamers,  possibly  somewhat  of  the  old  barge 
type,  will  be  built  for  the  business  of  the  smaller  places 
which  demand  recognition  as  lake  ports.  With  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Erie  Barge  Canal,  about  1915,  such  vessels 
of  load  draft  not  exceeding  twelve  feet,  would  be  able  to 
pass  from  any  of  the  ports  on  the  lakes  to  the  Hudson 
River  and  thence  to  New  York  and  the  sea  coast. 

A  type  of  vessel  peculiarly  adapted  to  this  service  Is 
the  unit  of  the  fleet  operated  by  the  Boutell  Steel  Barge 
Company.  This  little  fleet  Is  most  homogeneous,  being  com- 
posed of  four  steamers  and  eight  barges  (two  barges  to 
the  tow)  aggregating  fifteen  thousand  tons'  register.  The 
vessels  are  of  uniform  size,  two  hundred  and  seventy-six 
feet  In  length  by  thirty-six  and  thirty-eight  feet  beam,  and 
the  barges  have  a  cargo  capacity  of  nearly  three  thousand 
tons  each.  They  were  built  from  1889  to  1901,  and  are 
still  very  profitable  carriers. 

During  the  last  decade  the  lake  commerce  has  more 
and  more  resolved  Itself  Into  classes  and  distinct  divi- 
sions, and  the  old  lines.  In  both  the  merchandise  and 
passenger  traffic,  have  strengthened  their  hold  upon 
public  favor  and  patronage.  To  accomplish  this  and 
earn  the  good  will  of  travellers  bent  on  business  or  pleas- 
ure, they  have  greatly  Improved  the  service.  They  have 
added  new  and  faster  steamers  to  their  well  established 
routes,  and  In  many  ways  made  waterway  travel  safer  and 
more  enjoyable.  The  railroad  liners,  which  are  confined 
to  the  merchandise  trade  almost  exclusively,  transport 
several  million  tons  during  the  navigation  season.  It  is 
all  high  class  freights,  originating  in  the  vast  territory  of 


THE    ERA  OF    STEEL  223 

the  Northwest  and  destined  for  the  populous  districts 
of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  or  equally  valuable  commodities 
manufactured  in  the  busy  centres  of  New  England  to 
supply  the  ever  increasing  demand  of  the  West. 

Of  these  railway  fleets  the  Anchor  Line  is  the  oldest 
and  most  popularly  known  throughout  the  lakes.  It  is  the 
operating  line  of  the  Erie  and  Western  Transportation 
Company,  which  in  turn  is  owned  and  controlled  by  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad.  It  is  composed  of  fifteen  iron  and 
steel  steamers,  aggregating  thirty-seven  thousand,  five 
hundred  tons'  register,  and  over  sixty  thousand  tons'  cargo 
capacity.  The  oldest  vessels  of  the  fleet  are  the  Japan, 
India,  and  Alaska^  built  in  1871,  which  were  the  first  liners 
constructed  of  iron.  They  were  elegantly  fitted  up  for  the 
accommodation  of  fifty  passengers  each,  and  many  travel- 
lers have  had  their  first  view  of  the  lake  ports  from  the 
decks  of  these  stanch  and  safe  propellers,  as  they  are 
classed.  They  were  followed  in  1880-81  by  larger 
steamers,  the  Clarion  and  Lehigh,  of  one  thousand,  seven 
hundred  tons'  register,  and  measuring  two  hundred  and 
fifty-six  feet  length  by  thirty-six  feet  beam;  and  in  1886 
by  the  Susquehanna,  a  leviathan  of  the  time,  being  three 
hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  in  length  by  forty  feet  beam, 
registering  two  thousand,  eight  hundred  tons.  In  1892, 
the  sister  ships,  Codorus,  Mahoning,  and  Schuylkill,  built 
of  steel,  three  hundred  feet  long  by  forty  feet  beam,  and 
of  two  thousand,  two  hundred  tons'  register,  were  added 
to  the  fleet.  Ten  years  later  the  Muncy,  of  nearly  three 
thousand,  nine  hundred  tons  and  measuring  three  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  length  by  forty-six  feet  beam,  was  built; 
and  in  1903  the  splendid  Tionesta  added  much  to  the  pres- 
tige of  the  line.  She  is  a  combined  passenger  and  freight 
steamer,  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  length  of  deck 
and  forty-five  feet  beam,  and  registers  four  thousand,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  tons.  By  1905  the  sister  ship,  the 
Juniata,  had  appeared  to  further  increase  the  popularity 
of  the  lake  voyage;    and   at  the   same  time  the  great 


224  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

freighter  Delaware,  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet 
in  length  and  fifty-six  feet  beam,  of  three  thousand,  nine 
hundred  tons'  register,  was  added.  In  1907  her  sister 
ship,  the  new  JVissahickon^  was  put  in  commission.  The 
steamer  Clarion  was  burned  on  Lake  Erie  in  the  great 
gale  of  December  7  to  10,  1909. 

The  Western  Transit  Line  operates  a  fleet  of  sixteen 
package  freighters  between  Buffalo  and  Chicago  and 
Buffalo  and  Duluth,  carrying  in  the  aggregate  sixty- 
five  thousand  tons  of  merchandise  in  a  single  trip.  The 
old  steamers  date  back  to  1870,  from  which  time  to  1879 
the  wooden  vessels,  Rome,  Commodore,  Auburn,  and 
Yonkers,  carried  all  the  business  offered.  They  were 
nearly  uniform  in  size  and  tonnage,  being  two  hundred 
and  sixty-five  feet  in  length,  with  a  width  of  thirty-six  feet, 
and  one  thousand,  eight  hundred  tons'  register.  In 
1880  and  1884,  the  iron  steamers  Boston  and  Syracuse,  of 
about  the  same  dimensions,  were  added  to  the  fleet; 
and  in  1893  the  Mohawk,  three  hundred  and  twelve 
feet  in  length  by  forty-one  feet  beam,  and  of  two  thou- 
sand, three  hundred  and  fifty  tons'  register,  was  built. 
By  1899  vessels  of  this  type  had  so  increased  in  size  that 
the  Troy  and  the  Buffalo,  four  hundred  feet  length  of 
deck  and  fifty  feet  beam,  and  of  four  thousand  tons, 
greatly  increased  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  line.  The 
steamers  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  Utica  are  sister  ships, 
three  hundred  and  forty-five  feet  long  by  forty-four  feet 
beam,  and  of  three  thousand,  five  hundred  tons'  register; 
and  the  Duluth,  of  four  thousand,  six  hundred  tons,  is 
even  larger  than  the  Troy  and  Buffalo.  The  Superior, 
built  in  1905,  is  the  latest  addition  to  the  fleet  and  is  of 
about  the  size  of  the  Duluth.  In  all,  the  fleet  is  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  movement  of  line  freights. 

7'he  Mutual  Transit  Company,  which  controls  the  Union 
Steamboat  Line,  is  the  operating  concern  for  the  lake  fleets 
of  the  Great  Northern  and  Northern  Pacific  Railways.  It 
is  composed  of  fifteen  vessels  well  suited  for  the  upper  lake 


THE    ERA    OF    STEEL  225 

trade.  Some  names  given  these  liners  are  unique,  such  as 
North  Wind,  North  Star,  Northern  fVave,  Northern  Light, 
Northern  King,  and  Northern  Queen.  They  are  each  of 
two  thousand,  four  hundred  and  seventy-six  tons'  register, 
and  measure  three  hundred  and  twelve  feet  long  by 
forty  feet  beam,  and  were  built  in  1888-89.  The  North 
Star  was  lost  on  Lake  Huron  in  November,  1908.  Other 
vessels  of  the  fleet  range  in  size  from  three  hundred  to 
three  hundred  and  forty  feet  length  by  thirty-eight  to 
forty-four  feet  beam,  and  register  from  two  thousand  to 
three  thousand,  four  hundred  tons,  being  built  in  the 
eighties  and  nineties.  The  total  cargo  capacity  of  the 
fleet  is  nearly  seventy  thousand  tons.  In  1909  three  new 
freighters  were  added  to  the  fleet,  the  North  Sea,  the 
North  Lake,  and  the  new  North  Star,  being  of  dimen- 
sions three  hundred  and  seventy-two  feet  length,  forty-six 
feet  beam,  and  registering  four  thousand  tons. 

Another  important  line  is  that  of  the  Lehigh  Valley 
Transit  Company,  which  numbers  six  large  freighters  of 
steel.  It  is  a  homogeneous  fleet,  composed  of  but  two 
different  classes  of  ships.  The  first  class,  built  in  1888-90, 
comprises  the  Bethlehem,  Saranac,  Seneca,  and  Tnscarora, 
of  two  thousand,  six  hundred  and  sixty-nine  tons'  register, 
and  measuring  three  hundred  and  ten  feet  length  by  forty 
feet  beam.  The  later  class,  added  in  1901,  is  composed  of 
the  Maiinch  Chunk,  and  the  Wilkes  Barre,  of  four  thou- 
sand, five  hundred  tons,  being  four  hundred  feet  long  by 
fifty  feet  wide.  They  ply  between  Duluth,  Chicago,  and 
Buffalo  in  connection  with  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railway, 
by  which  they  are  owned. 

Almost  since  the  beginning  of  permanent  settlement  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  country,  there  has  been  some  traffic  from 
along  the  great  river  and  the  Ontario  shores  to  the  upper 
lakes.  At  first  it  was  no  more  than  bringing  into  the 
settlements  canoe  and  boat  loads  of  furs  from  the 
vast  region  of  the  Northwest,  and  the  carrying  of  sup- 
plies and  trinkets  to  the  trading-posts  in  return.     The 


1226  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  falls  of  Niagara  were 
overcome  by  portage,  but  even  then  some  better  means 
of  surmounting  the  obstacles  placed  by  Nature  to  a  free 
navigation  were  deemed  necessary  by  the  sturdy  pioneers. 
They  must  have  realized  the  possibilities  of  the  great 
chain  of  waterways  as  a  mighty  highway  of  commerce  to 
the  South  and  West. 

Although  some  small  canals  and  locks  along  the  St. 
Lawrence  were  completed  by  the  Royal  Engineers  as  early 
as  1783,  nothing  was  done  toward  a  passage  of  Niagara 
until  1816.  After  overcoming  many  difficulties  and  finan- 
cial troubles,  the  Dominion  Government  completed  the 
first  Welland  Canal  in  1829.  As  commerce  increased  by 
the  natural  demand  of  a  growing  population  in  the  upper 
lake  settlements,  larger  vessels  were  built  for  the  inter- 
lake  traffic,  and  enlargement  of  the  Welland  was  twice 
made  until  the  present  scale  of  navigation  was  determined 
on,  in  1 87 1,  and  completed  in  1887.  The  canals  and  locks 
of  the  entire  system  from  Lake  Erie  through  to  Montreal 
provide  for  vessels  of  maximum  dimensions,  two  hundred 
and  fifty-six  by  forty-four  feet,  which  may  load  to  a  mean 
draft  of  fourteen  feet. 

Even  with  this  moderate  navigation  afforded  from  the 
head  of  the  lakes  to  the  sea,  it  was  not  long  before  it 
was  found  to  be  entirely  inadequate  to  establish  a  great 
and  enduring  traffic.  The  bulk  of  the  eastbound  com- 
merce was  made  up  of  grain,  flour,  salt,  and  lumber,  and 
the  vessels  engaged  in  such  trade  were  soon  too  small  to 
compete  profitably  with  the  much  larger  grain  ships  which 
used  the  port  of  Buffalo  as  their  eastern  terminal.  To 
retain  as  much  of  the  trade  as  possible  some  novel  means 
were  resorted  to.  The  limit  of  fourteen  feet  draft  im- 
posed by  the  Welland  and  other  canals  was  less  by  a  foot 
or  more  than  the  maximum  draft,  when  fully  loaded,  of 
the  vessels  which  could  navigate  them.  This  was  a  severe 
handicap  to  the  successful  operation  of  many  steamers, 
but  since  the  harbors  at  both  ends  of  the  Welland  Canal 


THE   ERA   OF   STEEL  227 

afforded  sufficient  depth  of  water  to  float  them  when  fully 
loaded,  they  were  given  their  maximum  cargo. 

To  permit  the  passage  through  the  canal  when  under 
an  increased  draft,  lightering  was  quite  generally  adopted. 
The  Grand  Trunk  Railway  built  a  branch  line  parallel 
to  the  canal,  with  elevators  and  switching  tracks  at  each 
end.  Enough  of  the  cargo  was  transferred  to  the  rail- 
road and  transported  overland  to  bring  the  vessel  to  the 
fourteen  feet  draft  and  thus  enable  it  to  pass  through 
the  canal,  when,  at  the  other  terminal,  the  transferred 
portion  of  the  cargo  was  taken  on  again.  This  expedient 
worked  fairly  well  until  about  1898,  when  the  greatly 
reduced  rates  rendered  the  inter-lake  traffic  unprofitable. 
The  smaller  vessels  had  already  been  crowded  out  of  the 
trade  and  the  transfer  charges  were  prohibitive  to  the 
larger  ones. 

In  1907  only  ninety-three  vessels  lightered  through  the 
canal,  of  which  sixty-three  were  Canadian  steamers  and 
one  schooner.  Eighteen  vessels  entered  under  the  British 
flag,  and  ten  steamers  and  one  schooner  under  the  United 
States  standard.  The  Canadian  steamer  Iroquois  was  the 
largest,  having  a  registered  tonnage  of  one  thousand,  four 
hundred  and  fifty-two,  and  dimensions  two  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  length,  forty-three  feet  beam,  and  twenty-six 
feet  depth  of  hold.  On  August  3,  she  arrived  at  Port 
Colborne  from  Fort  William,  with  one  hundred  and  two 
thousand  bushels  of  wheat  destined  for  Kingston.  The 
draft  was  sixteen  feet,  five  inches,  fore  and  aft,  and  the 
dead  weight  of  the  cargo  was  three  thousand  and  sixty-one 
tons.  In  order  to  bring  the  steamer  to  the  required  draft, 
twenty  thousand,  six  hundred  and  ninety-six  bushels, 
weighing  six  hundred  and  twenty-one  tons,  were  lightered, 
which  amounted  to  twenty  car  loads,  comprising  a  small 
train. 

The  Iroquois  entered  the  canal  under  a  draft  of  four- 
teen feet,  two  inches,  with  eighty-one  thousand,  three  hun- 
dred and  four  bushels  still  in  her  hold,  and  a  tonnage  of 


228  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

two  thousand,  four  hundred  and  forty,  and  steamed 
through,  reloading  the  transferred  grain  at  Port  Dal- 
housie.  The  cost  of  Hghtering  was  two  cents  a  bushel, 
amounting  to  $413.92.  The  total  tonnage  of  lightered 
vessels  through  the  canal  in  1907,  was  179,043,  while 
only  two  thousand  and  seventy-two  tons  of  grain  was  dis- 
charged at  Port  Colborne  by  vessels  which  did  not  enter 
the  canal. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  bulk  of  the  grain 
shipments  goes  to  Buffalo,  there  are  several  lines  operating 
steamers  between  Ogdensburg,  Kingston,  the  Ontario 
ports,  and  Chicago,  and  upper  lake  ports.  Of  these  the 
Great  Lakes  and  St.  Lawrence  Transit  Company  has  nine 
steamers  built  specially  for  this  service.  The  vessels  are 
of  uniform  size  and  tonnage,  registering  one  thousand, 
six  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and  measuring  two  hundred 
and  fifty-five  feet  in  length  by  forty-one  feet  beam,  and 
were  built  in  1903.  Their  cargo  capacity  is  two  thou- 
sand, five  hundred  tons  each  on  the  fourteen  feet  draft. 
Next  in  importance  is  the  Rutland  Transit  Company, 
which  operates  six  wooden  steamers  of  an  aggregate  ton- 
nage of  eleven  thousand,  three  hundred.  Two  of  them  are 
two  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  length  by  thirty-seven  feet 
beam,  and  of  one  thousand,  six  hundred  tons,  and  were 
built  in  1884.  The  other  four  are  of  forty-two  feet  beam, 
and  two  thousand  and  fifty  tonnage,  built  in  1889-90. 
Their  cargo  capacity  is  the  same  as  of  the  other  line. 
Besides  these  vessels  numerous  "  tramps  "  trade  on  these 
inter-lake  routes,  picking  up  what  cargoes  they  can,  and 
seemingly  earning  fair  returns. 

During  1907  the  aggregate  tonnage  of  all  classes  of 
vessels  in  this  service  was  1,614,132.  They  numbered 
nineteen  hundred  and  eighty-two.  Of  this  tonnage  396,743 
passed  from  and  to  ports  of  the  United  States.  The  in- 
creased size  of  the  vessels  using  the  waterway  is  strikingly 
shown  in  a  comparison  with  the  report  of  1867.  In  that 
year,  fifty-four  hundred  and  five  vessels  passed  through 


THE    ERA    OF   STEEL  229 

the  Welland,  carrying  only  933,263  tons.  The  Canadian 
commerce  through  the  canal  to-day  Is  very  largely  through 
freights  passing  eastward  from  Lake  Erie  ports  to 
Montreal,  and  which  amounted  In  1907  to  789,167 
tons.  This  was  carried  In  a  navigation  season  of 
two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  days;  and  in  the  en- 
tire year  the  Grand  Trunk  and  Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
ways delivered  at  Montreal  383,735  tons  of  grain,  against 
684,697  tons  of  grain  carried  by  the  Welland  and  St. 
Lawrence  Canals. 

The  tolls  of  the  Welland  Canal,  which  had  been  gradu- 
ally reduced  from  time  to  time  to  equalize  the  schedules 
on  the  St.  Lawrence,  were  taken  off  entirely  in  1903. 
Since  then  all  the  Canadian  and  United  States  canals  along 
the  chain  of  the  Great  Lakes  have  been  free,  not  only 
to  the  vessels  of  each  nation  in  Its  respective  canals,  but 
also  to  the  vessels  of  the  other;  and  they  are  open  to  the 
world. 

An  Innovation  in  the  lake-canal  traffic  was  Introduced  In 
1895  by  the  Cleveland  Steel  Canal  Boat  Company,  in  an 
effort  to  establish  a  direct  route  from  Cleveland  to  New 
York  by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal.  It  was  a  fleet  composed 
of  one  steamer  and  five  consorts  —  all  steel  canal  boats 
—  carrying  in  the  aggregate  one  thousand,  three  hundred 
tons  of  steel  rails.  The  trip  was  made  In  thirteen  days, 
and  at  such  a  low  cost  that  three  other  fleets  of  two  feet 
greater  draft  of  Its  units,  or  eight  feet,  were  built  and 
put  in  service  the  following  year.  The  boats  were  ninety- 
eight  feet  In  length,  eighteen  feet  beam,  and  ten  to  twelve 
feet  depth.  They  were  built  of  three-elghths-Inch  open- 
hearth  steel,  and,  being  very  buoyant,  drew  only  eighteen 
inches  of  water,  but  loaded  down  to  six  feet  draft,  carried 
two  hundred  and  thirty-five  tons.  The  steamer  was 
equipped  with  fore  and  aft  compound  engine  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  horse-power,  and  supplied  with  steam 
by  a  boiler  of  the  Scotch  type.  The  diameter  of  the  screw 
propeller  was  sixty-four  inches,  making  one  hundred  and 


230  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

twenty  revolutions  per  minute.  The  cost  was  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  that  of  each  consort  about  six  thousand 
dollars.  While  they  were  well  adapted  to  and  economical 
carriers  on  the  canal,  they  were  small  and  hardly  suited 
to  withstand  the  rough  seas  encountered  in  the  long 
stretch  of  open  lake  between  Cleveland  and  Buffalo,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  miles,  and  the 
through  route  was  soon  abandoned.  The  port  of  Buf- 
falo is  the  natural  and  practical  terminus  of  the  eastbound 
lake  marine,  but  the  new  Erie  Barge  Canal  may,  with  its 
broad  and  deep  channel,  bring  about  economic  changes 
not  now  foreseen. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

THE    GREYHOUNDS    OF    THE    UNSALTED    SEAS 

Types  of  Passenger  Steamers  —  The  North  West  —  Routes  of  the 
Northern  Steamers  to  Upper  Lakes  —  Commerce  at  Port  of  Chicago 
—  Steamer  Manitou  —  The  Northern  Michigan  Transportation  Com- 
pany—  The  Goodrich  Line  —  Its  History  —  Steamer  Christopher  Co- 
lumbus—  The  Theodore  Roosevelt  —  The  United  States  —  Its  Electrical 
Effects  —  White  Star  Line  —  Steamer  Routes  —  Independent 
Steamers  and  Routes  —  Cedar  Point  on  Lake  Erie,  the  "Coney 
Island  of  the  West." 

THE  highest  type  of  water  craft  is  the  modern  pas- 
senger steamer.  It  is  the  culmination  of  the  ship- 
builder's art.  It  represents  the  genius  and  skill  of  an 
army  of  steel  workers,  wood  workers,  and  those  of  allied 
trades.  Its  interior  reflects  the  taste  and  delicate  touch 
of  the  artist  and  decorator.  Its  mechanical  being  and 
safeguards  of  life  are  as  nearly  perfect  as  can  be  devised. 
And  its  conveniences  for  the  comfort  and  pleasure  of 
tourists  and  excursionists  bent  on  business  or  recreation 
are  everywhere  present. 

It  may  be  a  gigantic  liner  swiftly  ploughing  the  slug- 
gish billows  of  the  ocean  or  creeping  cautiously  into  har- 
bor. Or  it  may  be  a  lake  greyhound  steaming  over  the 
more  tranquil  waters  of  a  crystal  sea  or  river.  In  either 
case  it  is  a  real  and  vivid  exponent  of  the  progress  in 
mechanical  science.  It  gives  to  the  marine  picture  a  touch 
of  life,  of  movement,  and  of  color  which  almost  equals 
the  charm  of  the  old-time  scenes  in  which  the  white-winged 
fleets  of  brig,  bark,  or  schooner  held  the  foreground.  It 
suggests  the  intense  activities  of  the  waterway  commerce 
and  the  feverish  haste  of  multitudes  in  quest  of  fortune. 


232  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

It  is,  indeed,  the  crowning  feature  of  marine  architecture 
of  to-day. 

Upon  no  inland  waters  of  the  world  can  there  be 
found  such  a  squadron  of  stanch,  speedy  vessels  as  plies 
the  Great  Lakes  and  their  outlet,  the  St.  Lawrence  River. 
The  great  express  steamers  are  built  with  special  regard 
to  the  waters  upon  which  they  float,  and  the  arrangement 
of  deck  and  cabin  space  exactly  meets  the  requirements  of 
the  service  on  the  routes  they  cover.  The  greyhounds 
of  the  night  lines  are  necessarily  of  very  different  plan 
from  those  of  the  daylight  routes,  while  the  excursion 
steamers  and  broad-decked  ferries  are  radical  departures 
from  either.  For  clearness  and  perspective  the  fresh- 
water fleets  of  the  Inland  Seas  may  be  divided  into  these 
general  classes.  The  steamship  companies  generally  adopt 
one  particular  type  of  steamer  best  suited  to  their  service 
and  adhere  to  it  closely  in  their  new  ships.  In  some 
instances,  however,  the  lines  are  composed  of  vessels  rep- 
resenting two  distinct  types. 

In  the  east  and  west  travel  by  the  highway  of  the 
great  unsalted  seas,  the  steamships  North  JVest  and 
North  Land,  of  the  Northern  Steamship  Company,  pre- 
sent a  most  interesting  study.  In  point  of  size  they  may 
be  placed  in  a  class  almost  by  themselves,  and  moreover, 
being  exclusively  passenger  ships,  carrying  neither  freight 
nor  express  matter,  they  are  to  the  lakes  what  the  limited 
trains  are  to  the  trunk  lines  of  railway.  Since  1894-95, 
when  they  were  commissioned  in  service  between  Buffalo, 
Chicago,  and  Duluth,  they  have  been  the  wonder  of 
tourists  from  the  home  ports  and  from  afar.  They 
closely  resemble  a  large  type  of  Atlantic  liners,  and,  in- 
deed, it  is  hard  to  believe,  upon  seeing  either  in  mid-lake 
or  the  connecting  waterways,  that  some  giant  of  the  briny 
seas  has  not  been  transplanted  into  the  fresh  waters. 

These  splendid  steamers  are  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  feet  in  length  of  deck,  forty-four  feet  beam,  and 
twenty-six   feet   depth,   and   register  five   thousand  tons. 


The  J.  PiERPGNi   Morgan 


Passkngkr  steamkr   Cirr  or  ruE  Straus  in   dkv    dock 
Ar  Dktrou'  dockvard 


GREYHOUNDS   OF    UNSALTED    SEAS    23;^ 

The  hulls  are  of  steel  throughout  and  were  constructed 
on  the  models  of  the  swiftest  liners,  under  a  special  sur- 
vey to  obtain  the  highest  classification.  They  are  not 
only  modern  and  luxurious  in  every  appointment,  but  in 
strength  and  safety  are  not  inferior  to  the  Atlantic  liners. 

On  their  profitable  route  to  the  West  and  Northwest, 
these  steamers  use  a  common  path  from  Buffalo  to  Macki- 
nac, which  is  the  dividing  point  of  the  traffic  destined  for 
Chicago  and  Duluth.  The  beautiful  island  which  is  the 
gem  of  the  straits  has  very  aptly  been  called  "  the  hub  of 
the  unsalted  seas,"  and  it  is  the  Mecca  of  all  tourists  in  the 
lake  region.  Leaving  the  port  of  Buffalo  twice-weekly 
early  in  the  evening,  the  traveller  has  a  vivid  view  of  the 
commercial  and  industrial  activities  of  a  large  and  thriv- 
ing city.  Off  on  the  port  side  in  the  gathering  darkness  of 
night  are  shooting  tongues  of  flame  and  the  red  glare  of 
the  furnaces,  for  the  gigantic  steel  plants  do  not  stop 
operations  at  the  close  of  day.  The  sight  is  rivalled  only 
by  the  lurid  rays  of  the  setting  sun  over  the  brilliant  elec- 
trical display  of  Crystal  Beach  on  the  far  Canadian  shore. 

The  night  voyage  up  Lake  Erie  brings  the  good  ship 
by  early  morning  off  the  city  of  Cleveland.  Into  the 
harbor  and  up  the  narrow  stream  she  is  led  by  tugs,  until, 
at  her  wharf,  the  high  buildings  and  the  landmarks  of 
viaduct  and  streets  of  Ohio's  metropolis,  show  but  dimly 
through  the  early  haze  and  smoke.  After  a  brief  stop, 
for  these  great  ships  are  operated  on  a  fast  express  sched- 
ule, the  steamer  is  drawn  out  of  the  river,  and  turning 
about,  is  soon  clear  of  the  harbor  and  rushing  over  the 
mid-lake  pathway.  Through  the  noon  hour  she  is  passing 
Point  Pelee,  that  dangerous  cape  off  the  Canadian  shore, 
and  in  an  hour  or  so  is  entering  the  wide  mouth  of  the 
Detroit  River. 

For  twenty  miles  the  ship  steams  under  reduced  speed 
through  the  most  entrancing  scenes  of  green  banks, 
shaded  woodland,  and  verdant  farming  lands  to  the  very 
water's  edge,   and  occasionally  a  small  town  or  hamlet 


234  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

adds  a  touch  of  slumbering  rusticity.  For  some  distance 
through  Limekiln  Crossing,  the  veritable  "  Hell-Gate  of 
the  Lakes,"  the  vessel  feels  her  way  very  cautiously,  for 
the  turns  are  sometimes  tortuous  and  there  are  many  craft 
of  all  classes  passing  in  both  directions.  Through  these 
straits  the  immense  commerce  of  the  lakes  narrows  in 
two  processions  of  the  vast  merchant  marine,  which  in 
the  aggregate  is  nearly  one-half  of  the  total  tonnage  of 
the  United  States,  and  which  needs  no  subsidy  for  its  ex- 
istence and  extension.  This,  indeed,  is  the  heart  of  the 
wonderland. 

Detroit,  the  "  City  of  the  Straits,"  lies  along  the  river 
front  for  nearly  ten  miles;  and  the  first  point  of  interest 
after  passing  the  great  shipyards,  the  alkaline  chemical 
works,  and  steel  plants,  is  old  Fort  Wayne  which  recalls 
stirring  events  in  the  War  of  1 812.  It  is  still  garrisoned 
by  a  regiment  of  United  States  troops.  Wide  and  well- 
shaded  streets  smoothly  paved,  and  lofty  buildings  of 
granite  and  marble  are  the  distinguishing  features  of  this 
old  city  of  Detroit,  the  site  of  which  was  first  visited  by 
Antoine  de  la  Cadillac  in  1701.  The  parks  alone  have 
made  it  famous,  and  of  these  Belle  Isle,  the  island  park 
in  the  river,  is  "  premier,"  for  there  is  nothing  like  it  — 
or  so  beautiful  —  elsewhere. 

After  a  short  stop  the  steamer  continues  on  her  way, 
passing  Belle  Isle  on  the  port  side  and  giving  the  travellers 
a  splendid  panoramic  view  of  lagoons,  driveways,  green- 
sward, and  attractive  buildings  of  artistic  design.  The 
upper  end  of  the  island  is  heavily  wooded,  and  remains 
in  nearly  its  natural  state,  adding  greatly  to  its  charm. 
Just  above  its  head  the  river  widens  out  into  the  expanse 
of  Lake  St.  Clair,  the  waters  of  which  though  shallow  arc 
of  the  same  crystalline  clearness  and  purity.  A  run  of 
about  eighteen  miles  across  the  open  brings  the  steamer 
to  the  entrance  of  the  ship  canal,  which  is  a  government 
work  of  some  magnitude.  Through  this  artificial  channel 
at  the  delta  of  the  St.  Clair  River,  for  more  than  a  mile, 


GREYHOUNDS    OF    UNSALTED    SEAS     235 

the  vessel  steams  at  slow  speed,  and  then  Is  in  the  more 
open  stretches  of  the  South  Channel. 

Along  this  natural  though  deepened  stream  for  a  dis- 
tance of  several  miles  lies  the  St.  Clair  Flats,  a  city  built 
on  the  water — the  "Little  Venice."  It  is  famous 
throughout  the  Middle  West  as  the  summer  home  of  the 
devotees  of  aquatic  sports,  of  which  fishing,  trapping, 
and  hunting  are  the  chief  delights.  The  cabins  and 
houses  are  built  for  the  most  part  on  piles,  or  mounds  of 
sand  thrown  up  by  dredging,  with  numerous  lagoons  ex- 
tending back  into  the  marsh  which  surrounds  the  Flats 
for  miles  on  all  sides.  It  is  a  cosmopolitan  colony  of  con- 
tented, nature-loving  people,  intent  upon  enjoying  the 
simple  life  to  its  utmost.  The  unbuilt  portion  of  the 
Flats  along  the  east  side  of  the  river  is  an  Indian  reser- 
vation under  the  domain  of  Canada,  and  over  which 
floats  the  Cross  of  St.  George,  while  over  the  other  waves 
the  Stars  and  Stripes.  A  little  further  north,  opposite 
Algonac,  the  Walpole  Island  Indians  have  a  settlement 
where  they  make  bows  and  arrows,  baskets  and  other 
articles  for  trade  at  the  resorts. 

All  along  the  channel  are  numerous  docks  at  which  the 
day  boats  stop  to  land  and  take  on  passengers  and  sup- 
plies for  the  summer  city.  There  are  pretentious  club- 
houses and  inviting  hotels  with  their  little  groves  of 
willows,  green  lawns,  and  cool  arbors.  Countless  water 
craft  of  the  mosquito  kind  dart  here  and  there  almost 
under  the  bows  of  the  passing  greyhounds,  the  white 
and  trim  excursion  boats,  and  the  great  ore  ships.  Still 
above  these  attractions  is  Tashmoo  Park,  owned  and 
conducted  by  the  White  Star  Line.  Here  all  is  not  art, 
neither  is  all  nature.  The  ground  is  covered  with  a  dense 
grove,  but  there  is  also  a  fine  athletic  field,  while  shrub- 
bery, lily  ponds,  and  other  natural  attractions  help  to 
make  it  an  ideal  recreation  resort. 

A  little  further  on  the  river  stretches  out  into  its 
natural  bed  through  a  most  beautiful  country.     There  are 


236  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

broad  fields  of  waving  corn,  small  patches  of  woodland, 
the  comfortable  homes  of  the  prosperous  countryfolk, 
and  green  banks  of  the  stream  continually  laved  with  the 
pure  clear  waters.  For  thirty  miles  new  and  ever  chang- 
ing scenes  open  up  to  the  view  of  the  traveller  until,  pass- 
ing the  thriving  little  city  of  Port  Huron  on  the  port  side, 
and  the  slower  town  of  Sarnia  on  the  Canadian  frontier, 
the  steamer  enters  Lake  Huron.  She  continues  the  voy- 
age along  the  international  boundary  in  mid-lake  for 
nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  Mackinac  Island. 

At  this  point  the  North  West  turns  back  eastward  for 
about  sixty  miles  to  the  St.  Mary's  River,  threads  its  way 
through  narrow  channels,  surmounts  the  famous  locks, 
and  comes  to  the  tempestuous  inland  sea,  Superior.  For  a 
night  and  a  day  she  steams  onward,  touching  at  Houghton 
and  Hancock,  the  centre  of  the  great  copper  country; 
passes  through  the  ship  canal  in  the  Keweenaw  Peninsula, 
and  arrives  in  another  half-day  at  the  head  of  the  lake, 
the  port  of  Duluth-Superior. 

Here  at  the  twin  cities,  with  the  harbor  between,  are 
new  scenes  of  intense  commercialism.  The  great  ore  docks 
are  filling  the  cavernous  holds  of  the  giant  freighters, 
other  docks  are  discharging  the  return  cargoes  of  coal 
for  the  great  Northwest,  while  at  still  other  docks  great 
elevators  are  almost  emptying  their  rich  storage  of  grains 
into  the  lake  monsters  which  hurry  it  to  the  ravenous 
hordes  of  the  East.  And  then  there  are  the  immense 
lumber  Interests,  and  the  feverish  activity  of  a  railroad 
distributing  port,  for  this  is  the  head  of  the  Inland  Seas 
navigation  for  the  United  States.  The  development  of 
this  rich  and  prosperous  land  of  wonders  almost  equals 
the  mavellous  feats  of  Aladdin. 

The  steamer  North  Land,  on  the  southern  route  to 
Chicago,  bears  off  to  the  west  from  Mackinac  Island,  and, 
after  a  turn  to  the  south,  in  about  four  hours  enters  Little 
Traverse  Bay  for  the  stop  at  Harbor  Springs.  Down 
the  long  expanse  of  Lake  Michigan  the  steamer  continues 


GREYHOUNDS    OF    UNSALTED    SEAS    237 

for  part  of  an  afternoon  and  a  night,  and,  in  the  early 
morning  of  the  third  day  from  Buffalo,  arrives  at  Mil- 
waukee, the  "  Cream  City,"  situated  on  a  high  bluff 
towering  above  and  overlooking  a  beautiful  bay. 

From  Milwaukee  to  Chicago  is  a  short  run  down  the 
west  shore  of  the  lake,  past  the  flourishing  towns  of 
Racine,  Kenosha,  and  Waukegan,  and  then  slipping  by 
the  picturesque  suburbs  of  Chicago's  North  Shore.  "  Out 
upon  the  water  front  towers  the  big,  splendid  city,  the 
metropolis  of  the  Middle  West,  and,  closer  at  hand,  a 
succession  of  superb  parks,  facing  the  lake  and  making 
big,  prosperous,  commercial  Chicago  a  city  of  beauty." 

The  harbor  of  Chicago  is  one  of  the  busiest  in  America, 
and  Its  water  front  of  a  narrow,  winding  river  is  a  veri- 
table working  hive  of  industrious  activity.  Of  itself  it 
offers  nothing  of  attractiveness  to  the  seeker  of  civic 
beauty,  but  it  compensates  for  this  in  a  measure  by  the 
number  of  its  entrances  and  clearances  of  the  merchant 
marine.  These  exceed  in  all  months  of  the  year  together 
any  port  on  the  continent,  and  the  volume  of  Its  water- 
borne  commerce  is  second  only  to  the  port  of  New  York, 
which  In  turn  nearly  equals  that  of  London,  England. 
However  busy  these  latter  great  ports  may  be  with  their 
commerce  distributed  over  twelve  months,  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  in  the  Inland  lake  port  practically  all  the 
traffic  Is  handled  In  eight  or  nine  months,  an  adequate 
Idea  of  the  hurry  and  bustle  during  that  time  Is  hardly 
conceivable. 

The  passenger  business  of  Chicago  through  Its  port 
to  the  lakes  Is  enormous.  Of  the  sixteen  million  persons 
carried  yearly  on  the  water  highways  of  the  entire  chain 
of  Great  Lakes,  nearly  two  million,  or  one-eighth  of  the 
total,  are  passengers  on  the  steamers  plying  to  and  from 
this  port.  A  goodly  proportion  of  these  are  tourists 
bound  for  distant  ports,  and  during  the  busy  summer 
months  they  crowd  the  great  liners  to  their  capacity. 
Those  operating  on  the  old-time  routes  to  Mackinac  Is- 


238  OUR    INLAND   SEAS 

land,  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  the  Superior  ports  are,  with 
few  exceptions,  large  modern  steamers  of  the  highest 
classification.  They  have  replaced,  one  by  one,  the  old 
wooden  vessels  which  thirty  or  forty  years  ago  developed 
the  business  to  the  north,  and  which  were  then  the  pride 
of  the  lake  marine. 

The  splendid  steamer  Manttoti,  of  the  Manitou  Steam- 
ship Company,  fairly  represents  the  new  marine.  Although 
built  and  put  in  service  between  Chicago  and  Mackinac 
Island  and  Northern  Michigan  resorts,  during  the  Co- 
lumbian Exposition,  in  1893,  she  has  continued  on  this 
route  each  season  since,  making  semi-weekly  trips.  In 
point  of  size,  construction,  and  interior  appointments  the 
Manitou  compares  favorably  with  any  vessel  of  the 
steamship  class,  which,  planned  to  accommodate  tourists 
for  long  voyages  as  well  as  for  day  trips,  plies  between 
ports  at  opposite  ends  of  the  chain  of  lakes.  Her  di- 
mensions are  three  hundred  feet  length  over  all,  forty- 
two  feet  beam,  and  she  registers  two  thousand,  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  tons.  There  are  broad  decks,  ample 
cabins,  and  luxurious  staterooms  and  every  convenience  for 
four  hundred  passengers. 

The  Northern  Michigan  Transportation  Company  oper- 
ates three  steamers  on  the  northern  route,  of  which  the  Illi- 
nois and  Missouri,  built  in  1899  and  1904  respectively, 
are  sister  ships.  They  are  of  steel  throughout,  registering 
two  thousand,  four  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and  are  two 
hundred  and  forty  feet  in  length  by  forty  feet  beam.  The 
steamer  Kansas  is  a  wooden  steamer,  two  hundred  feet 
in  length  by  thirty-three  feet  beam,  and  was  built  in  1870. 

The  oldest  and  largest  transportation  company  in  the 
passenger  traffic  of  Lake  Michigan  is  the  Goodrich  Tran- 
sit Company.  From  a  small  beginning  made  more  than 
fifty  years  ago,  the  business  has  grown  and  expanded  to 
its  present  proportions,  which  commands  a  large  share  of 
the  class  of  lake  commerce  in  which  it  engages.  7  he  early 
history  of  the  line  is  interesting  as  showing  the  traffic  con- 


GREYHOUNDS    OF    UNSALTED    SEAS    239 

ditions  of  a  time  when  the  lake  settlements  were  mere 
hamlets,  Milwaukee  a  small  town,  and  Chicago  a  city 
of  only  eighty  thousand  persons.  The  line  was  es- 
tablished in  the  Spring  of  1856  by  Captain  A.  E.  Good- 
rich, with  the  small  steamboat  Huron.  It  was  of  only 
three  hundred  and  fifty  tons'  burden,  and  had  been  built 
in  1852  at  Newport,  Mich.,  by  Captain  E.  B.  Ward, 
one  of  the  prominent  vessel  owners  of  the  time.  She 
plied  between  Chicago  and  Milwaukee,  running  up  one 
day  and  back  the  next,  and  was  perfectly  capable  of 
taking  all  the  business  offered.  At  her  usual  speed 
nearly  ten  hours  were  required  for  a  single  trip.  Her 
engines  were  of  the  low-pressure  type,  and  her  boiler 
furnaces  consumed  cords  upon  cords  of  wood,  —  the 
only  fuel  obtainable. 

The  line  grew  and  prospered,  Increasing  its  business 
with  the  development  of  the  lake  country.  By  i860  the 
population  of  Chicago  had  reached  one  hundred  and  ten 
thousand,  and  Milwaukee  was  fast  becoming  a  place  of 
importance.  With  the  natural  increase  of  the  lake  com- 
merce the  A.  E.  Goodrich  Steamboat  Line,  as  it  was 
known,  came  in  for  its  share,  for  the  sturdy  captain 
commanded  his  own  vessel,  was  manager  and  press 
agent  as  well,  and  knew  every  detail  of  the  business  to 
a  fine  degree.  In  i860  the  side-wheel  steamboat  Comet: 
was  put  on  the  line  and  continued  in  service  until  No- 
vember, 1869,  when  she,  too,  was  dismantled.  The  steam- 
boat Sunbeam,  another  side-wheeler,  built  In  1862,  at 
Manitowoc,  was  in  service  for  a  number  of  years. 

Compared  with  the  modern  type  of  side-wheel  steamer 
these  old-timers  were  curious  specimens  of  marine  archi- 
tecture. Their  huge  paddle-wheels  and  the  boxes  inclos- 
ing them,  the  high  and  ungainly  walking-beam,  the  little 
box-like  pilot  house,  and  the  big  lettering  of  the  name 
would  look  very  odd  in  this  generation.  Still  there  are 
many  of  the  old  lake  captains  who  remember  them  well, 
and  delight  in  recalling  stories  of  their  performance  In 


240  OUR  INLAND    SEAS 

gales,  the  crowds  of  eager  people  they  sometimes  carried, 
and  their  bursts  of  speed  in  the  frequent  races  engaged  in 
to  determine  the  fastest  steamer  —  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  mariners  and  for  the  supremacy  of  the  lake. 

The  large  steamer  Planet,  built  by  Captain  Ward  at 
Newport,  in  1855,  and  which  was  a  leviathan  of  the  time, 
was  added  to  the  line  about  1863.  She  was  of  twelve  hun- 
dred tons,  and  splendidly  furnished,  but  ran  only  until 
1866,  when  she  was  taken  off  the  line  and  dismantled. 
The  steamer  Northwest,  another  well-known  passenger 
boat  of  the  side-wheel  type,  was  operated  for  two  years, 
but  in  1868  she  was  sent  to  the  route  between  Detroit 
and  Cleveland  to  take  the  place  of  the  Morning  Star, 
which  had  been  lost  in  collision.  In  1868  the  business 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Goodrich  Trans- 
portation Company,  with  Captain  Goodrich  as  its  first 
president,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death  in  1885. 

The  present  fleet  of  the  Goodrich  Transit  Company, 
(the  corporate  name  adopted  in  1906)  is  composed  of 
nine  steamers  and  one  tug.  Of  these  the  big  whaleback 
steamer  Christopher  Columbus  is  the  largest  single  unit, 
and  in  fact  the  largest  vessel  built  for  the  passenger  ser- 
vice since  the  days  of  the  famous  railroad  liners,  the  West- 
ern JForld  and  the  Plymouth  Rock,  which  plied  on  Lake 
Erie  in  1854-57.  In  the  intervening  years  passenger 
traffic  had  easily  been  cared  for  by  the  steamers  ranging 
in  size  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  feet 
in  length;  but  the  impetus  given  about  1893  to  tourist 
travel  on  the  water  highways  of  the  lakes  resulted  in  the 
construction  of  many  splendid  steamers  of  larger  size  and 
capacity.  The  strides  thus  taken  within  the  last  fifteen 
years  fill  many  interesting  pages  of  the  marine  history 
of  the  lakes, 

7'he  hull  of  the  Columbus  is  in  no  way  different  in 
construction  from  the  ore-carrying  whalebacks.  It  is 
three  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet  in  length  and  forty-two 
feet    beam,    and    registers    fifteen    hundred    gross    tons. 


GREYHOUNDS   OF    UNSALTED    SEAS     241 

Above  the  main  deck  are  five  turrets  of  steel  upon  which 
are  built  the  promenade,  upper,  and  hurricane  decks. 
Being  a  day  boat  the  decks  are  wide  and  open  except  for 
observation  and  dining  saloons,  and  the  passenger  capacity 
is  thus  greatly  increased,  and  exceeds  four  thousand.  Un- 
like the  freighters,  the  machinery  is  placed  just  aft  of  the 
waist  section,  the  one  big  smoke  funnel  and  exhaust  pipes 
passing  through  the  third  turret.  The  engines  are  of  five 
thousand  indicated  horse-power,  sufficient  to  drive  the 
stanch  vessel  at  a  speed  of  eighteen  miles  an  hour,  in  all 
conditions  of  weather  and  sea.  For  fifteen  years  the 
Christopher  Cohimhiis  has  plied  between  Chicago  and 
Milwaukee,  and  is  still  (in  1909)  the  largest  day  and 
excursion  steamer  on  the  Great  Lakes. 

Next  in  size,  but  equal  in  speed  and  seaworthiness  Is 
the  steamship  Virginia.  She  is  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  feet  in  length,  thirty-eight  feet  beam,  and  registers 
sixteen  hundred  gross  tons.  The  Virginia  is  fitted  up 
as  a  night  boat,  providing  every  comfort  for  travellers. 
Running  with  the  Virginia  on  the  night  trips  between  Chi- 
cago, Grand  Haven,  and  Muskegon,  Is  the  steamer  In- 
diana which,  though  smaller  of  dimensions,  being  two 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  length  by  thirty-five  feet  beam, 
is  one  of  the  popular  steamers  on  Lake  Michigan.  On 
the  night  trips  between  Chicago  and  Milwaukee  are  the 
steamers  Iowa  and  City  of  Racine,  practically  of  uniform 
size  and  speed  with  the  Indiana.  The  oldest  steamers 
now  in  service  are  the  Sheboygan,  built  in  1869,  and  the 
Chicago,  In  1874.  These  with  the  Georgia,  which  came 
out  In  1880,  and  the  Carolina,  ply  between  the  metropolis 
and  Milwaukee  to  the  ports  along  the  Wisconsin  shore, 
Including  Manitowoc,  Sturgeon  Bay,  Menominee,  Mari- 
nette, Washington  Island,  and  Escanaba.  On  this  route 
they  make  four  to  six  trips  weekly  in  sight  of  land,  with 
one  trip  extended  to  Mackinac  Island. 

The  Graham  and  Morton  Line  Is  a  powerful  factor 
in  the  passenger  and  fruit  business  between  Chicago  and 


242  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

St.  Joseph,  Benton  Harbor,  Holland,  and  Ottawa  Beach, 
all  important  shipping  points  and  summer  resorts  along 
the  Michigan  coast.  The  fleet  is  composed  of  four  large 
steamers  of  steel,  of  which  the  City  of  Benton  Harbor 
is  the  largest  single  unit.  It  is  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
one  feet  in  length  by  thirty-six  feet  beam,  and  of  thirteen 
hundred  tons'  register.  The  City  of  Chicago  which  runs 
on  the  St.  Joseph  division  In  connection  with  the  City  of 
Benton  Harbor,  Is  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  length 
by  thirty-four  feet  beam,  and  registers  eleven  hundred 
and  fifty  tons.  On  the  Holland  division  are  the  steamers 
Puritan,  of  dimensions  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  feet 
length  by  forty  feet  beam,  and  the  Holland,  two  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  In  length  by  thirty-three  feet  beam,  giving 
daily  service.  During  the  fruit-shipping  season  the  sight 
of  these  steamers  entering  the  port  of  Chicago,  laden  to 
the  very  guards  with  thousands  of  baskets  of  peaches,  Is 
both  surprising  and  Instructive.  It  emphasizes  the  great 
wealth  of  the  country  along  the  Inland  Seas. 

The  steamer  South  Haven  is  a  modern  steel  vessel,  of 
dimensions  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  feet  keel,  two 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  length  of  deck,  by  forty  feet  beam, 
and  plies  betweeen  Chicago  and  South  Haven  and  Mus- 
kegon. It  Is  a  popular  steamer  among  the  resorters  of 
the  Michigan  shore,  and  enters  largely  Into  the  fruit 
transportation  across  Lake  Michigan. 

Of  the  constantly  Increasing  fleets  of  excursion  steamers 
running  in  and  out  of  the  principal  ports  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  the  new  and  fast  steamers  of  the  Indiana  Trans- 
portation Company  command  first  place.  The  most 
famous  of  these  is  the  Theodore  Roosevelt.  With 
broad  open  decks  providing  wide  promenades,  she  has  a 
capacity  of  thirty-five  hundred  passengers,  and  Is  often 
taxed  to  the  limit  on  her  popular  run  to  Michigan  City, 
Indiana,  which  is  made  twice  daily.  The  new  craft  is 
two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  feet  In  length,  forty  feet 
beam,  sixteen  feet  depth,  and  from  the  keel  to  the  bridge 


The  Saranac 


A     "  IMG  "     OR     WHALKBACK 


GREYHOUNDS   OF    UNSALTED   SEAS     243 

is  fifty-two  feet.  The  hull  is  divided  into  seven  water- 
tight compartments  and  with  double  bottoms  and  trim- 
ming tanks  to  prevent  listing,  the  vessel  is  practically 
unsinkable. 

The  motive  power  of  the  Roosevelt  is  of  quite  unusual 
power  for  a  vessel  of  her  size,  and  is  capable  of  driving 
her  at  a  speed  of  twenty-four  miles  an  hour.  The  four- 
cylinder  triple-expansion  engine  Is  placed  just  aft  of  the 
midship  section,  and  is  thirty-two  feet  long  by  about 
twenty  feet  in  height.  It  extends  four  feet  above  the  main 
deck  and,  being  adjacent  to  the  social  hall.  Is  inclosed  by 
a  mahogany  rail  so  that  the  passengers  can  watch  its 
smooth  and  steady  motion.  The  cylinders  are  thirty, 
forty-eight,  and  fifty-six  Inches  in  diameter  by  forty  Inches 
stroke,  and  are  supplied  with  steam  from  seven  Scotch 
boilers  eleven  feet,  six  Inches  in  diameter  by  eleven  feet 
long,  and  working  under  a  pressure  of  two  hundred 
pounds,  with  Howden  hot  draft. 

The  electrical  equipment  of  the  steamer  is  most  com- 
plete. Besides  the  thousand  or  more  lamps,  and  the 
five  thousand  candle-power  searchlight,  high  on  the  bridge 
deck,  there  are  streamers  of  colored  lights  extending  from 
stem  to  stern.  Far  above  the  hurricane  deck  between  the 
smokestacks  and  outlined  against  the  sky,  is  a  huge  sign 
Roosevelt,  which  may  be  read  for  some  distance.  At 
night  each  letter  of  flaming  light  stands  out  In  bold  re- 
lief, thus  forming  the  name  as  a  sort  of  beacon  of  hope 
and  life. 

Another  favorite  steamer  of  the  line  Is  the  United 
States^  which,  as  its  name  suggests,  is  a  patriotic  craft  of 
rare  attractiveness.  Above  the  four  decks,  which  accom- 
modate twenty-five  hundred  passengers  comfortably,  are 
suspended  electrical  effects  consisting  of  a  streamer  of 
red,  white,  and  blue  lights,  an  immense  shield  and  star 
similarly  lighted,  the  name  of  the  ship  in  twenty-four-inch 
letters,  and  the  "  star-spangled  banner  "  flashing  on  and 
off  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  a  waving  effect.    All  through 


244  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

the  cabins  are  pictures  and  tablets  giving  in  paintings  and 
phrases  the  history  of  the  country.  Handsome  gold  and 
silver  lettered,  cut-glass  tablets  bearing  patriotic  sayings 
of  great  men  line  the  sides  of  the  cabin.  Photographs  of 
the  governors  of  all  States  and  Territories  in  the  Union 
adorn  the  walls.  In  a  conspicuous  place  is  a  wooden  map 
of  the  United  States,  composed  of  woods  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  each  piece  being  carved  in  the  exact  geo- 
graphical shape  of  the  State  from  which  it  came.  The 
specimens  of  wood  were  furnished  by  the  governors  of  the 
various  States.  The  mountain  ranges,  oceans,  river  and 
water  courses  are  all  shown,  and  the  principal  cities  desig- 
nated. The  State  capitals  are  shown  by  pearl  stars.  It 
is  the  only  map  of  its  kind  in  existence. 

The  engines  of  the  United  States  are  triple  expansion 
with  cylinders  thirty-two,  thirty-six  and  one-half,  and  sixty 
inches  in  diameter  by  forty  inches  stroke,  and  develop  suffi- 
cient power  to  place  the  vessel  among  the  twenty-mile  flyers. 
Steam  is  supplied  by  three  large  Scotch  boilers  thirteen 
feet,  three  inches  in  diameter  by  twelve  feet,  four  inches 
long.  There  are  two  twenty-five  kilowatt  turbine  electric 
generators  for  the  illumination  of  the  ship,  and  the  large 
searchlight  which,  with  the  attractive  special  electrical 
effects,  distinguish  the  steamer  wherever  and  whenever 
seen. 

Through  the  world's  greatest  water  highway,  connecting 
Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Erie,  the  splendid  day  steamers  of 
the  White  Star  Line  ply  back  and  forth  daily  from  May 
to  November.  They  are  of  the  day  or  excursion  class, 
of  large  size  and  passenger  capacity,  and  are  among  the 
fastest  and  finest  equipped  for  such  service  on  the  lakes, 
or  in  fact  upon  any  waters  of  the  continent.  The  squad- 
ron is  composed  of  five  steel  steamers,  the  Tashmoo, 
Greyhound,  City  of  Toledo,  Owana,  and  the  new  boat 
JVaukela,  commissioned  in  1909.  Designed  especially 
for  the  day  trips  between  Detroit,  Sugar  Island,  and 
Toledo,  and  northward  from  Detroit,  the  St.  Clair  Flats, 


GREYHOUNDS   OF    UNSALTED   SEAS     245 

and  Port  Huron,  their  decks  are  open  to  the  cool  lake 
breezes,  thus  affording  comfortable  space  for  from  two 
thousand  to  thirty-five  hundred  people. 

The  steamer  Tashmoo,  which  has  a  hull  moulded  on 
the  fine  lines  of  a  swift  yacht,  is  equipped  with  engines 
of  great  power,  and  is  one  of  the  fastest  steamers  flying 
the  American  flag.  She  is  three  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
in  length,  thirty-seven  feet  in  beam,  seventy  feet  in  width 
of  decks,  fourteen  feet  in  depth,  and  is  licensed  to  carry 
thirty-five  hundred  passengers.  Designed  especially  for 
the  river  service  she  plies  between  Detroit  and  Port 
Huron  daily  in  a  double  trip,  from  the  middle  of  Tune 
to  the  middle  of  September. 

A  large,  fast  steamer  of  uniform  size  and  accommoda- 
tions is  the  Greyhound,  which  plies  between  Toledo  and 
Detroit,  stopping  on  both  daily  trips  at  Sugar  Island  Park, 
the  attractive  resort  laid  out  and  conducted  by  the  White 
Star  Line.  The  steamer  Owana,  of  dimensions  two  hun- 
dred feet  length  by  thirty-two  feet  beam,  is  the  companion 
boat  on  this  route,  leaving  Detroit  in  the  morning  and 
Toledo  in  the  afternoon.  The  afternoon  run  out  of  De- 
troit for  Port  Huron  is  taken  by  the  City  of  Toledo, 
which  is  two  hundred  and  twelve  feet  length  by  thirty-two 
feet  beam,  and  carries  two  thousand  people.  A  special 
afternoon  run  is  made  daily  during  the  Summer  to  St. 
Clair  and  intermediate  points  along  the  river,  the  steamer 
returning  on  an  early  morning  trip  and  arriving  at  the 
city  wharf  in  time  for  the  day's  business. 

Southward  from  Detroit  on  the  "  Island  Route  "  plies 
the  steamer  Frank  E.  Kirby  which,  because  of  high  speed, 
is  known  as  the  "  flier  of  the  lakes."  Her  course  is 
through  the  lower  stretches  of  the  entrancing  river,  across 
the  open  lake  to  historic  Put-in-Bay  and  the  other  islands 
of  the  group,  and  on  to  Sandusky.  On  the  broad  bay  of 
the  same  name,  but  facing  the  lake,  is  the  "  Coney  Island 
of  the  West,"  which,  during  the  Summer  months,  gives 
to  the  old  port  an  appearance  of  some  commercial  im- 


246  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

portance.  Four  smaller  steamers  ply  back  and  forth 
across  the  crystal  waters  of  the  bay,  and  the  steamer 
Arroiv  makes  frequent  trips  between  the  city  and  Put-in- 
Bay.  The  steamer  Lakeside  is  in  regular  service  between 
the  Islands  and  the  south  shore  points.  During  the  busy 
fruit-shipping  season  from  the  Islands  and  the  south 
shore,  the  lake  steamers  come  into  port  almost  daily, 
heavily  laden  with  peaches,  grapes,  and  other  fruits  for 
which  the  region  has  long  been  famous. 

The  fine  large  steamer  Eastland  of  the  lake  type  of 
steamship  runs  between  Cleveland  and  Cedar  Point  (the 
Coney  Island),  making  daily  trips  during  the  excursion 
season.  Throughout  the  upper  lakes  there  are  lines  of 
independent  and  smaller  steamers  operating  on  routes 
such  as:  Cheboygan  to  Sault  Ste.  Marie;  Mackinac  Island 
to  Les  Cheneaux  (the  Snows)  Islands,  the  fine  fishing 
grounds;  Marquette  to  Grand  Island  and  the  Pictured 
Rocks ;  Marquette  to  Houghton  and  Hancock ;  from  these 
points  to  Duluth;  and  from  Duluth  to  Port  Arthur  and 
Fort  William  and  thence  to  Isle  Royal. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

THE    MERCHANT    MARINE    OF  CANADA 

Ties  which  Bind  the  Great  Lakes  Region  to  the  St.  Lawrence  — 
Early  History  of  Richelieu  and  Ontario  Navigation  Company  — 
Routes  and  Consolidations  —  Present  Fleet  —  Divisions  of  Through 
Traffic  —  New  Steamers  —  Saguenay  River  —  Niagara  Transpor- 
tation Steamers  —  Other  Steamers  on  Lake  Ontario  —  History  of 
the  Northern  Navigation  Company  —  Fusions  and  Development 
of  North  Country  —  Present  Fleet  —  Routes  —  The  Steamship 
Hanionic. 

VERY  much  of  the  romance  in  the  history  of  the 
American  continent,  from  the  time  of  its  discovery 
to  the  present  day,  is  crowded  into  that  section  which 
forms  the  watershed  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  Almost 
every  point  of  interest,  from  the  Niagara  frontier  down 
Lake  Ontario  and  the  grand  stream  to  where  it  broadens 
out  to  the  gulf,  was  once  the  scene  of  some  romantic 
episode  of  history,  coupled  with  scenery  that  is  grand 
and  beautiful,  magnificent  and  charming.  The  very  ex- 
istence of  the  great  Inland  Seas  to  the  west  became  known 
to  the  world  through  exploration  and  discovery  under- 
taken by  the  adventurers  of  New  France  who,  with  mar- 
vellous fortitude  and  perseverance  and  undergoing  great 
hardships,  finally  reached  their  headwaters.  Through 
every  bay  and  inlet  they  planted  the  flag  of  France,  and 
sowed  the  seeds  of  progress  of  a  civilized  and  enlightened 
race.  Their  zealous  missionaries  proclaimed  to  every 
wandering  tribe  the  religion  of  the  home  land  and  every- 
where laid  the  foundations  of  peace  and  showed  the  ways 
of  kindness.  They  won  the  confidence  and  enjoyed  the 
affection  of  the  savage  tribes  and  often  treated  them  as 


248  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

brothers.  They  led  the  same  rough  Hfe  of  the  wilderness, 
and  the  Indians  shared  with  them  their  wigwams  and 
the  fruits  of  the  chase.  For  these  reasons  the  two  great 
regions  —  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence  —  are 
indissolubly  united  by  sentiment. 

This,  however,  cannot  be  said  of  the  regions  in  a 
commercial  sense.  As  with  all  nations,  that  intercourse 
is  as  a  thing  apart.  From  the  very  geographical  divisions, 
the  chasm  of  Niagara,  and  the  differences  of  tongue  and 
temperament  of  the  habitant  and  the  Yankee,  the  com- 
merce of  Lake  Ontario  and  its  outlet,  the  noble  St.  Law- 
rence, and  that  of  the  four  upper  lakes,  are  in  nearly 
every  respect  distinct  and  separate.  Niagara,  although 
a  formidable  barrier  to  interlake  commerce,  has  by  the 
genius  of  man  been  surmounted,  is  not  of  itself  sufficient 
to  effect  this  result.  The  Welland  Canal  and  the  locks 
which  pass  it,  and  those  of  the  St.  Lawrence  system,  float 
vessels  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  in  length,  forty- 
four  feet  beam,  and  of  twenty-five  hundred  tons'  burden. 

But  notwithstanding  the  great  strides  which  have  taken 
place  in  marine  architecture  and  the  consequent  deepen- 
ing of  channels  in  straits  and  ports  within  the  last  fifteen 
years,  any  further  development  of  the  government  works 
along  these  lines  is  not  contemplated.  It  is  a  well  es- 
tablished fact  that  in  the  canal  policy  of  Canada  an  en- 
largement of  the  canals  and  locks  to  accommodate  the 
latest  type  of  vessels  on  the  upper  lakes,  namely,  six  hun- 
dred feet  in  length,  sixty  feet  beam,  and  of  twenty  to 
twenty-four  feet  draft,  is  regarded  as  impractical  and 
infeasible.  Parliament  now  leans  toward  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Georgian  Bay-Montreal  route  as  a  ship 
canal,  which  will  ultimately  be  constructed,  following  very 
closely  the  pathway  of  the  early  explorers  in  their  journey- 
ings  to  Michilimackinac  and  the  Northwest.  This  will 
open  a  direct  route  from  Port  Arthur,  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Superior,  to  Montreal  to  vessels  carrying  thirteen  thou- 
sand tons;    and  will  be  the  main  highway  of  commerce 


MERCHANT    MARINE    OF   CANADA    249 

for  the  rich  products  of  the  Northwest  destined  to  foreign 
ports. 

Although  the  waters  of  Lake  Ontario  and  the  upper 
portion  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  inclusive  of  the  Thou- 
sand Islands,  are  shared  equally  by  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  the  commerce  borne  on  them  is  almost  wholly 
Canadian.  The  St.  Lawrence  is  the  great  highway  of 
commerce  for  the  Provinces,  and  upon  Its  deep  and  well- 
lighted  channel  from  Montreal  to  the  sea,  a  great  foreign 
trade  is  floated.  A  large  class  of  trans-Atlantic  liners  and 
numerous  coasting  vessels  steam  for  nearly  seven  hundred 
miles  from  the  gulf  to  Montreal  where  their  cargoes  are 
distributed  throughout  the  Dominion.  In  return,  the 
liners  take  the  products  of  the  forest,  the  grains  of  the 
vast  Northwest,  and  manufactured  articles  to  populous 
Europe.  The  enterprise  which  has  reaped  the  profits  of 
navigation  below  Montreal  likewise  controls  the  shipping 
of  the  upper  river,  and  it  is  not  surprising,  all  conditions 
considered,  that  the  bulk  of  the  waterway  commerce  of 
that  stream  and  also  of  Lake  Ontario  should  be  carried  In 
Canadian  bottoms.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  tonnage  fly- 
ing the  Stars  and  Stripes  Is  small,  and  Is  composed  al- 
most exclusively  of  passenger  boats  of  limited  capacity. 
It  Is  not  upon  these  waters  that  the  marine  enterprise  of 
the  United  States  has  manifested  itself,  nor  Is  it  likely  It 
ever  will. 

The  largest  and  most  Important  corporation  engaged 
In  the  lake  and  river  commerce  is  the  Richelieu  and  On- 
tario Navigation  Company.  It  is  also  the  oldest  trans- 
portation line  In  Canada,  having  been  established  long 
before  the  beginning  of  the  expansion  of  her  material  re- 
sources. From  a  small  beginning  the  line  has  grown  and 
prospered  by  application  of  sound  business  principles  to 
its  present  commanding  position,  and  plays  an  Infinitely 
larger  part  in  the  transportation  world  than  dreamed  of 
by  the  originators  of  the  service.  Away  back  in  1 845  "  La 
Societe  de  Navigation  du  Richelieu  "  was  formed  among 


250  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

the  farmers  living  along  the  Richelieu  River,  for  the 
purpose  of  running  some  boats  to  bring  the  produce  of 
their  farms  to  the  market  at  Montreal.  The  service  proved 
of  such  advantage  to  the  thrifty  French  Canadians  who 
participated  in  the  benefits  that,  two  years  later,  the  line 
was  extended  to  Include  the  towns  along  the  St.  Lawrence 
to  and  beyond  the  mouth  of  Its  tributary,  the  Richelieu. 

In  the  beginning  the  little  fleet  consisted  of  only  one 
steamboat,  the  Jacques  Cartier,  and  one  barge  which  was 
towed  up  and  down  the  river.  By  1856  the  traflic  had 
so  increased  that  the  business  was  reorganized  under  the 
name  "  La  Compagnie  du  Richelieu,"  and  two  small 
steamers  were  put  on  the  line  between  Montreal  and 
Quebec.  They  were  named  the  Napoleon  and  the  Fie- 
toria.  Soon  after  their  appearance  to  wrest  a  share  of 
the  business  enjoyed  by  the  Molson  and  Torrance  boats, 
the  former  of  which  had  inaugurated  steam  navigation 
on  the  St.  Lawrence,  a  fourth  line  was  started  by  Tate 
Brothers.  This  naturally  created  keen  competition  as 
there  was  scarcely  enough  traffic  to  sustain  two  lines  of 
steamboats,  and  a  great  rate  war  developed  in  which 
travellers  were  carried  for  almost  nothing.  Steerage 
passage  for  a  time  was  as  low  as  twelve  and  one-half 
cents,  and  the  first-cabin  rate  was  one  dollar,  which  in- 
cluded berth  and  meals. 

One  of  the  popular  features  of  a  river  trip  was  a  race 
with  some  other  steamboat  in  which  everything  was 
staked,  even  the  safety  and  comfort  of  the  passengers, 
to  secure  the  credit  of  being  the  faster  boat,  and  landing 
ahead  of  the  rivals.  It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the 
practice  seems  to  have  been  sanctioned  by  the  travelling 
public,  which  enjoyed  the  exciting  scenes  and  evidently  re- 
garded It  as  a  pleasant  diversion,  although  a  dangerous 
one.  How  long  the  ruinous  competition  would  have  con- 
tinued, had  It  not  been  for  the  disaster  to  the  steamer 
Montreal,  In  June,  1857,  c^'"*  ^"'v  ^'^  conjectured.  This 
event  brought  the  vessel  owners  to  their  sober  senses,  and 


h 


MERCHANT    MARINE    OF   CANADA    251 

the  traffic  was  arranged  so  that  the  Richelieu  Company 
controlled  the  largest  share  of  the  passenger  business.  It 
was  so  lucrative  that  the  shareholders  drew  as  high  as 
fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent  dividends.  In  1861  the  com- 
pany absorbed  the  St.  Peter  Navigation  Company,  which 
operated  steamers  on  the  same  route. 

In  1875  occurred  the  amalgamation  of  the  Richelieu 
Company  and  the  Canadian  Navigation  Company,  or 
the  upper  Canada  line,  and  the  Union  Navigation  Com- 
pany, and  the  name  which  has  continued  through  the  re- 
markable development  since  then,  was  given  It.  At  this 
time  the  newest  and  largest  steamers  of  the  line,  the  Mon- 
treal and  Quebec,  were  considered  so  much  in  advance  of 
other  vessels  in  American  waters,  that  their  models  were 
exhibited  in  foreign  cities.  By  1880  four  other  naviga- 
tion companies  of  the  mighty  river  were  brought  under 
the  Richelieu  and  Ontario  management,  and  the  mileage 
thereby  increased  to  one  thousand,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-six,  including  branches,  where  it  stands  to-day. 
It  is  thus  evident  that  a  great  measure  of  the  success  of 
this  old  company  is  due  to  its  vigorous  fight  against  oppo- 
sition and  rate  wars,  and  its  capability  of  absorbing  its 
rivals  and  turning  the  business  thus  secured  to  good  ac- 
count. That  the  travelling  public  Is  better  served  by  the 
one  great  corporation  Is  undoubted,  since  it  has  been  left 
in  practically  undisputed  possession  of  the  field  covered 
by  its  steamers. 

The  present  fleet  In  service  consists  of  twenty-six 
steamers,  and  fairly  represents  the  evolution  of  Canadian 
shipbuilding  from  1847  to  the  present  time.  Some  of  the 
earlier  steamboats  of  small  size  and  curious  proportions, 
which  had  been  brought  together  by  fusion  and  consolida- 
tion, are  used  for  the  most  part  as  ferries  and  market 
boats.  Of  these  the  Columbian  (now  the  Brockville)  and 
the  Hamilton,  although  both  rebuilt  and  refitted,  are  the 
oldest  hulls  afloat  In  Canadian  waters.  With  the  Spartan 
(now  the  Belleville)^  the  Corsican  (now  the  Pic  ton) ,  the 


252  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

Hochelaga,  and  the  Berthier,  they  form  a  class  by  them- 
selves, being  from  one  hundred  and  seventy-fiv^e  to  one 
hundred  and  eighty-four  feet  in  length.  The  Bohemian 
(now  the  Prescott)  is  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  feet 
measurement;  the  Terrebonne  and  Chamhly\  sister  ships, 
are  only  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet;  the  Three  Rivers 
and  the  Chicoutimi  are  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet; 
and  the  Virginia  (now  the  Tadoiisac)  and  the  Beaiipre 
are  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long.  Aside  from  these 
and  four  others  in  reserve,  there  are  the  splendid  new 
steamers  of  steel,  equipped  with  the  most  powerful  en- 
gines, which  ply  on  the  regular  tourist  route  between 
Toronto  on  the  west  and  Chicoutimi,  at  the  head  of  the 
Saguenay  River  navigation. 

This  entrancing  stretch  of  water,  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  miles  long  with  its  world-famous  trip 
through  the  Thousand  Islands,  the  running  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  Rapids,  and  the  scenic  trip  of  the  lower  St. 
Lawrence,  terminating  with  the  run  up  the  Saguenay,  is 
covered  by  nine  steamers,  and  daily  service  is  maintained 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  during  the  Summer  months. 
The  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  general  condi- 
tions of  the  tourist  travel  require  the  entire  route  to  be 
divided  into  four  divisions.  The  first,  or  lake  section, 
is  from  Toronto  to  Prescott;  then  to  Montreal  through 
the  rapids;  on  to  Quebec;  and  the  steamers  of  the  last  sec- 
tion run  through  to  Chicoutimi.  In  this  lower  St.  Law- 
rence country  are  the  two  fine  hotels  built  and  conducted 
by  the  Richelieu  and  Ontario  Company,  namely,  the 
Manolr  Richelieu  at  Murray  Bay,  and  the  Tadousac 
Hotel  at  the  confluence  of  the  Saguenay  with  the  broad 
river  which  flows  on  to  the  gulf. 

The  first  lap  of  the  inland  voyage,  from  Toronto  as 
the  starting  point,  lies  across  Lake  Ontario  to  Charlotte, 
New  York,  which  is  the  lake  port  of  Rochester.  Leaving 
the  Canadian  city  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  by  either 
the  steamer  Kingston  or  the  steamer  Toronto,  the  traveller 


MERCHANT    MARINE    OF   CANADA     253 

draws  away  from  the  world  of  the  famihar  which  has 
grown  wearisome,  and  has  a  glimpse  across  the  border 
into  the  world  of  something  new.  As  the  day  wanes 
he  finds  mental  rest  and  tonic  through  the  widening  door- 
way of  the  tranquil  sea,  and  sees  two  yellow  moons,  the 
serene  moon  in  the  sky  and  the  troubled  moon  in  the  lake, 
ere  sleep  draws  her  veil.  Ploughing  her  way  onward 
across  the  lake  to  its  outlet,  the  steamer  is  an  interesting 
study,  as  it  exemplifies  the  progress  of  Canadian  industries. 

First  of  all  there  is  no  part  of  the  material  —  of  steel 
for  the  keel,  ribs,  or  plating,  no  part  of  the  castings  for 
the  engines,  nor  of  the  selected  woods  for  the  cabins,  par- 
lors, and  staterooms  —  that  is  not  wholly  a  production  of 
Canada's  resources.  Then,  the  fabricating  of  the  thou- 
sands of  parts  into  the  hull  and  the  mechanical  being  of 
the  ship,  the  construction  of  the  upper  works,  the  finishing 
and  artistic  decorating,  and,  withal,  the  furnishings  and 
fittings,  represent  the  genius  and  skill  of  engineers  and 
artisans  of  the  Dominion.  Furthermore,  the  seamanship 
which  guides  the  vessel  safely  through  gales  on  the  lake, 
through  tortuous  channels  of  river  and  rapids,  and  brings 
It  into  port  in  perfect  condition  and  on  schedule  time.  Is  of 
that  old  and  valued  stock  of  mariner  which  has  sailed  for 
centuries  under  the  Cross  of  St.  George.  The  steamers 
Kingston  and  Toronto  are  each  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  feet  in  length,  sixty-two  feet  width  over  the  guards, 
and  fourteen  feet  depth,  and  were  built  in  1901  and 
1899  by  the  Canadian  Shipbuilding  Company.  They 
are  of  side-wheel  propulsion,  having  a  normal  speed  of 
seventeen  miles  an  hour,  which  can  easily  be  Increased  to 
twenty  miles  when  desired.  One  of  the  features  of  these 
steamers  Is  the  location  of  the  dining-room  on  the  main 
deck,  which  gives  an  abundance  of  light  and  air,  and 
affords  a  good  view  over  the  water. 

Early  In  the  morning  the  steamer  passes  through 
the  picturesque  Bay  of  Quinte  and  arrives  at  Kingston, 
the  largest  city  between  Toronto  and  Montreal,  before  the 


254  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

breakfast  hour.  Shortly  after  It  leaves  for  the  winding 
course  through  the  Thousand  Islands,  stopping  at  Clayton 
and  Alexandria  Bay,  New  York.  The  traveller,  mean- 
while, enthuses  over  the  scenery,  as  he  has  every  reason 
to,  for  stretching  out  in  a  span  of  the  river,  fifty  miles 
long,  are  sixteen  hundred  and  ninety-two  islands  of  sur- 
passing beauty.  They  are  of  varying  size,  shape,  and 
appearance,  from  the  small  barren  rock  projecting  from 
the  surface  of  the  river  to  the  large  fertile  area  of  land, 
covered  with  richest  foliage  and  lofty  trees.  Many  of 
them  are  crowned  with  summer  residences  of  widely  dif- 
ferent styles  of  architecture,  the  modest  cabin  of  the 
camper  and  the  magnificent  castle  of  the  millionaire; 
while  others  remain  In  the  simplicity  of  natural  beauty. 

"Throughout  its  entire  length  the  St.  Lawrence  has 
the  clearness  and  purity  of  a  mountain  spring,  and  com- 
bines In  its  length  the  picturesque  beauty  of  islands  and 
valleys,  the  exciting  descent  of  rapids,  and  the  bold  mag- 
nificence of  mountains  split  In  twain  at  Its  very  shores. 
The  waters  of  Lake  Ontario  are  filtered  through  the 
thousand  gems  of  Island  beauty  at  its  source,  and  they 
are  hardly  dissolved  from  view  before  Its  surface  Is 
churned  into  foam  and  spray  In  the  rapids  as  it  rushes 
toward  the  sea,  navigable  to  larger  steamers  than  can  enter 
the  locks  on  the  return." 

Over  the  broader  stretch  of  river  the  steamer  proceeds 
to  Brockville  and  thence  to  Prescott,  where,  alongside  the 
dock,  one  of  the  new  river  steamers  is  ready  to  take  the 
traveller  to  Montreal.  The  Rapids  King  and  Rapids 
Queen,  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  In  length,  by  forty- 
four  feet  beam,  with  their  broad  decks  and  large  cabins 
fitted  with  sliding  glass  windows,  are  Ideal  observation 
steamers,  and  they  form  a  class  by  themselves  for  the 
St.  Lawrence  service. 

Soon  after  the  view  of  Prescott  fades  away  In  the  dis- 
tance, the  first  troubled  waters,  the  Galops,  are  passed, 
and  a  few  miles  further  the  Rapids  du  Plat.     By  noon  the 


MERCHANT    MARINE   OF   CANADA     255 

Long  Sault,  with  its  snow-crested  billows  of  raging  water, 
comes  in  sight.  The  "  shooting  "  of  these  rapids,  which 
are  nine  miles  long,  and  the  greatest  but  not  the  most 
dangerous  of  the  group,  is  a  most  exciting  experience.  Di- 
rectly in  front  of  the  steamer  is  a  seething  mass  of  churn- 
ing water,  rushing  with  headlong  speed  down  a  declivity 
which  stretches  ahead  beyond  the  range  of  the  eye.  With 
steam  almost  shut  off  the  vessel  dashes  in  among  the 
waves  and  with  two  heavy  plunges  comes  up  against  what 
seems  to  be  an  advancing  wall  of  water.  Rushing  along 
by  the  sheer  force  of  the  current  she  cuts  through  this, 
at  a  speed  of  twenty  miles  an  hour,  past  jutting  headlands, 
close  to  threatening  rocks,  with  foaming  spray  dashing 
over  her  bow  and  amid  the  ocean-like  roar  and  tumult 
of  the  breakers. 

Along  in  the  afternoon  the  Coteau  Rapids,  about  two 
miles  long  and  very  swift,  are  passed,  and  a  few  miles 
further  down  the  turbulent  Cedar  Rapids  are  encountered. 
These  are  run  at  full  steam,  and  so  swift  is  the  current 
that  the  vessel  attains  a  speed  of  forty-five  miles  an  hour 
for  a  few  minutes.  Following  right  after  are  the  Split 
Rock  Rapids  and  the  Cascades,  the  latter  "  conspicuous  by 
white-crested  waves  which  mount  tumultuously  from  the 
dark  green  waters  in  such  a  choppy,  angry  way,  that 
they  make  the  vessel  lurch  and  toss  as  though  at  sea." 
Through  the  expansion  of  the  river.  Lake  St.  Louis,  and 
past  one  of  the  mouths  of  the  Ottawa  River,  the  steamer 
continues  until,  passing  through  the  dangerous  Lachine 
Rapids  with  a  fall  of  forty-five  feet,  she  comes  out  into 
calm  waters.  Sweeping  under  the  Victoria  Bridge  she 
finally  arrives  at  her  wharf  in  superb  Montreal. 

The  third  section  of  the  journey,  from  Montreal  to 
Quebec,  is  made  at  night  in  one  of  the  two  new  steamers 
bearing  the  names  of  these  cities.  They  are  the  largest 
of  Canada's  passenger  fleet  in  river  service,  and  being  de- 
signed for  night  trips,  have  berth  accommodations  for 
upwards  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  passengers.     In  point 


2^6  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

of  size,  appointments,  and  speed  they  compare  favorably 
with  the  giant  greyhounds  of  the  Great  Lakes,  which  equal 
or  surpass  the  proudest  vessels  upon  any  inland  waters  of 
the  globe.  They  measure  three  hundred  and  forty  feet 
in  length,  forty-four  feet  beam,  or  seventy-five  feet,  six 
inches  width  of  deck,  and  fifteen  feet  depth;  and, 
equipped  as  they  are  with  the  most  powerful  engines,  have 
a  normal  speed  of  seventeen  miles  an  hour.  The  steamers 
have  different  schemes  of  decoration,  as  it  is  the  purpose 
of  the  company  to  have  each  one  present  its  own  artistic 
beauties.  At  the  head  of  the  stairway  in  the  Montreal 
is  a  large  painting  of  Cardinal  Richelieu,  the  "  patron 
saint  "  of  the  line,  for  whom  it  was  named. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  old  fortified  city  of  Quebec,  the 
traveller  steps  aboard  one  of  the  steamers  plying  the  lower 
St.  Lawrence  on  the  route  to  Tadousac  and  Chicoutimi. 
It  may  be  either  the  steamer  St.  Irenee,  Tadousac,  or  the 
Murray  Bay,  but  in  any  event  he  enjoys  a  delightful  day 
trip  down  the  broader  stretches  of  the  river,  which  as- 
sume almost  the  proportions  of  an  inland  sea.  Its  waters 
become  as  salt  as  those  of  the  ocean  into  which  it  flows, 
and  whose  tides  wash  its  shores.  All  along  the  route 
scenes  of  wild  and  beautiful  grandeur  are  presented  to 
view,  the  Manoir  Richelieu  and  Murray  Bay  are  passed, 
and  by  early  evening  the  steamer  arrives  at  Tadousac 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Saguenay.  After  a  few  hours'  stay 
she  steams  up  the  silent  stream  during  the  night,  and  in  the 
morning  is  at  Chicoutimi,  ready  for  the  return  trip  in 
daylight  down  the  "  mighty  river  of  the  north." 

An  adequate  and  worthy  description  of  the  wonderful 
and  inspiring  scenes  along  the  Saguenay,  and  the  grandeur 
of  this  rift  in  the  Laurentian  Mountains,  probably  has 
never  been  written.  "  The  silence  is  absolute,  unbroken 
since  these  hills  flung  back  the  dying  echo  of  Nature's 
final  groan,  in  the  throes  of  that  frightful  volcanic  con- 
vulsion, which  left  the  wilderness  of  pine-clad  cliffs, 
through   which   a   dark,   unfathomable   river  steals   som- 


MERCHANT    MARINE   OF   CANADA     257 

brely,  like  a  hunted  thing."  There  is  Ha-Ha  Bay,  an 
inlet  seven  miles  long,  and  capes  Trinity  and  Eternity 
midway  down  the  river,  with  sheer  precipices  rising  two 
thousand  feet  above  the  surface  and  downward  to  un- 
known depths.  Other  rock  masses  loom  up  at  intervals, 
one  of  which  is  an  enormous  vertical  polished  surface  of 
rock,  called  Le  Tableau. 

Before  the  day  is  spent  the  steamer  is  back  at  Tadousac, 
and  the  average  man  and  tourist  is  glad  to  step  over  the 
border  of  the  wilderness  into  the  world  of  sameness  and 
familiar  sights.  Some  of  them,  however,  may  still  be 
new  and  interesting  for,  "  Far  off  o'er  the  Southern  shore 
soar  the  gulls,  bent  on  feeding  upon  what  the  waters  of  the 
incoming  tide  cast  up,  and  in  the  bright  gleam  of  the  sun, 
may  occasionally  be  seen  the  flash  of  a  white-backed 
porpoise  speeding  onward  with  lightning  rapidity,  and 
appearing  in  the  most  unlooked-for  places,  much  to  the 
consternation  of  the  old  gulls  who  scold  him  strenuously 
for  his  temerity." 

When  the  Richelieu  and  Ontario  Navigation  Company, 
in  1909,  came  to  a  United  States  shipyard  for  a  new 
steamer,  it  was  not  because  their  own  yards  could  not 
build  the  vessel  needed,  but  it  was  due  to  their  desire  to 
enter  the  coastwise  trade  of  Lake  Ontario's  southern 
shore  and  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  This  they  could  not 
do  with  any  of  the  steamers  of  their  fleet  built  in  Cana- 
dian shipyards,  because  of  the  clause  in  the  maritime  laws 
which  bars  any  foreign-built  ship  from  trading  between 
ports  of  the  United  States.  They  can  trade  between  for- 
eign ports  and  any  of  those  in  the  United  States,  whether 
along  the  oceans  or  the  lakes,  or  vice  versa,  but  they  may 
not  touch  the  domestic  trade,  that  is,  the  shipments  from 
one  port  of  the  United  States  to  another  port  of  the 
same.  Although  a  Canadian  corporation,  they  could  build 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  United  States  a  steamer  of 
any  size  under  the  existing  classifications,  and  operate 
it  between  any  and  all  ports  of  this  country.    This  they 


258  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

have  done  and  have  built  to  the  limit  as  to  size  imposed 
by  the  Welland  Canal  for  Its  passage  to  Lake  Ontario. 
The  steamer  Rochester^  which  In  19 10  established  a  new 
route  for  the  company,  Is  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  In 
length,  forty-three  feet,  eight  Inches  beam,  with  a  draft 
of  nine  and  one-half  feet,  and,  with  twin  screws,  has 
a  speed  of  eighteen  miles  an  hour  under  economical 
steaming  power.  She  plies  between  the  Niagara  River, 
Rochester,  Oswego,  and  the  Thousand  Islands. 

An  Important  link  in  the  voyage  from  Niagara  to  the 
sea  is  the  line  of  steamers  operated  by  the  Niagara  Navi- 
gation Company,  which  ply  between  Lewiston,  New  York, 
the  port  for  the  Niagara  frontier,  and  Toronto.  Like  the 
progressive  line  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  this  route  was  es- 
tablished long  ago,  the  first  steamer,  the  Chicora,  having 
been  built  in  1864.  It  is  a  side-wheel  vessel  of  nine  hun- 
dred and  thirty-one  tons'  register,  and  measures  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  feet  in  length.  As  the  country  and 
cities  on  both  sides  of  the  lake,  which  were  served  by  the 
line,  developed  and  grew  in  population  and  the  commerce 
Increased  In  volume,  other  steamers  were  put  on,  of  which 
the  Chippewa^  of  one  thousand,  five  hundred  tons,  and 
three  hundred  and  eight  feet  in  length,  and  the  Corona, 
of  thirteen  hundred  tons,  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet 
in  length,  are  good  examples.  In  1907  the  fine  new 
steamer  Cayuga,  three  hundred  and  eighteen  feet  in 
length,  and  with  four  broad  decks  arranged  for  the  day 
excursion  business,  was  added  to  the  fleet.  The  run  across 
Lake  Ontario  Is  made  In  about  three  hours  by  this  fast 
modern  steamer.  In  all,  six  round  trips  are  made  daily 
by  the  fleet,  during  the  rush  of  tourist  travel  in  the  Summer 
months.  There  Is  another  route  to  Toronto  by  electric 
railway  to  Port  Dalhousie  on  Lake  Ontario,  thence  by 
steamer  across  the  lake. 

Other  steamers  plying  these  waters  are  those  of  the 
Hamilton  Steamboat  Company,  Including  two  of  steel  and 
of  moderate  size  running  between  Hamilton,  Toronto, 


MERCHANT    MARINE    OF   CANADA     259 

and  other  lake  ports,  the  Toronto  Ferry  Company,  with 
two  steel  ferry-boats,  the  Mayflower  and  Primrose,  run- 
ning to  the  "  Island  "  opposite  the  city,  and  numerous 
side  lines  operating  along  the  north  shore.  There  is  the 
Ottawa  River  Navigation  Company,  with  the  steamers 
Duchess  of  York  and  the  Empress,  plying  between  Mon- 
treal and  Ottawa,  and  "  shooting  the  rapids."  Then 
there  is  a  vast  fleet  of  mosquito  craft  —  small  steamers 
and  schooners  —  operating  on  the  network  of  rivers  and 
canals  known  as  the  Back  Lake  system.  They  are  of  all 
sizes  and  types  from  the  little  power  launch  to  a  steam- 
boat one  hundred  and  thirty-four  feet  length,  thirty-three 
feet  beam,  and  of  twelve  feet  draft,  which  is  the  limit 
of  the  canal  locks.  They  are,  however,  by  their  very 
numbers,  an  important  factor  in  the  water-borne  com- 
merce of  Canada,  and  they  serve  a  considerable  terri- 
tory not  directly  connected  by  railway  with  the  outside 
world. 

In  the  interlake  commerce  of  Canada  there  Is  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  Chicago  Steam  Navigation  Company  fleet, 
of  which  four  steamers  are  of  steel.  The  Algonquin,  Iro- 
quois, and  Rosedale  are  of  the  canal  size  and  are  engaged 
principally  In  the  grain  trade.  The  larger  steamship,  W. 
D.  Mathews^  is  of  four  thousand  tons'  register,  measuring 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  length,  and  Is  In  service 
on  the  upper  lakes.  The  Canada  Lake  and  Ocean  Navi- 
gation Company  operates  the  well-known  "  turret  "  ships 
of  eighteen  hundred  tons  and  of  canal  size.  The 
Montreal  Transportation  Company  controls  three  steel 
steamers,  the  Fairmount,  Rosemount,  and  the  JVest 
Mounts  and  two  barges,  the  Hamilton  and  the  Quebec^ 
In  the  lake,  river,  and  canal  trade.  The  Merchants- 
Montreal  line  is  one  of  the  oldest  transportation  com- 
panies, and  the  Canada-Atlantic  Transportation  Company 
Is  engaged  In  the  St.  Lawrence  and  coast  trade.  It  owns 
and  operates  the  large  steamers  Arthur  Orr  and  George 
N.  Orr,  which  are  of  twenty-eight  hundred  tons'  register, 


i6o  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

and  belong  to  the  three  hundred  and  fifty-foot  class  of 
freighters. 

Upon  the  four  upper  lakes,  the  waterborne  commerce 
of  Canada  is  moved  by  several  important  steamship  lines, 
for  the  most  part  owned  or  controlled  by  the  transconti- 
nental railways  of  the  Dominion.  Of  these  the  Northern 
Navigation  Company,  which  is  practically  the  lake  divi- 
sion of  the  Grand  Trunk  System,  controls  the  bulk  of 
the  merchandise  and  passenger  business  between  the  ports 
of  western  Ontario  and  the  head  of  Lake  Superior.  The 
routes  followed  by  its  fleet  lie  almost  wholly  in  Cana- 
dian waters.  The  main  line  extends  from  Sarnia,  through 
Lake  Huron,  the  St.  Mary's  River,  and  the  great  canal 
and  locks  to  the  furthermost  ports  of  Lake  Superior,  — 
Port  Arthur,  Fort  William,  and  Duluth.  There  is  also  the 
well  travelled  route  from  Collingwood  and  Owen  Sound 
through  Georgian  Bay,  including  the  Thirty  Thousand 
Islands,  with  stops  at  quaint  and  curious  settlements  on 
Manitoulin  Island  and  the  North  Shore,  to  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  and  Mackinac  Island.  This  is  the  great  scenic 
region  of  the  Great  Lakes,  the  new  wonderland  in  the 
wilds  of  Ontario,  and  is  visited  each  season  by  hundreds 
of  tourists  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

The  history  of  this  upper  lake  line  is  one  of  consoli- 
dation and  fusion  of  corporate  interests,  in  which  all  the 
conflicting  elements  of  keen  competition  and  rate  wars 
were  dominant  factors.  The  through  route  to  Lake  Su- 
perior was  established  in  1870  as  the  Sarnia  and  Lake 
Superior  Line,  and  weekly  service  was  maintained  by  the 
side-wheel  steamer  Manitoba  and  the  propeller  Acadia. 
So  successful  was  the  line  that  a  few  years  later  the  new 
propellers  Ontario  and  Quebec  were  added,  and  the  Aca- 
dia taken  off.  In  1875  reorganization  was  effected  under 
the  name  Northwest  Transportation  Company.  The 
Windsor  and  Lake  Superior  Line,  which  operated  the 
steamers  Asia  and  Sovereign^  on  the  same  route,  was  in- 
corporated with  the  Sarnia  line,  and  for  a  time  all  five 


^^^,  ""'• v^ 


^TS-ssammitmiimm 


I'lsHiNc;    iii.L(nv  THK   LOCKS,  Sault  Ste.    Marik 


MERCHANT    MARINE   OF   CANADA     261 

steamers  were  run  on  the  through  route.  It  was  soon  evi- 
dent, however,  that  four  steamers  could  easily  handle  all 
the  traffic  offered,  and  the  Asia  was  taken  off  and  put 
into  the  Georgian  Bay  trade.  Upon  these  waters  she  was 
wrecked  some  years  after  with  great  loss  of  life. 

During  these  early  days  a  voyage  to  the  great  "  inland 
ocean  "  was  an  event  in  the  life  of  any  one  taking  it.  The 
only  communication  with  the  wilderness  along  the  north 
shore  was  by  steamer,  as  the  iron  trail  had  not  yet  pene- 
trated the  regions  so  far  from  civilization.  The  princi- 
pal traffic  of  the  line,  aside  from  the  tourist  travel,  was  with 
the  posts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  the  conveyance  of 
supplies  for  the  mining  camps,  and  the  settlements  of  the 
far  western  shore.  The  route  from  Sarnia  then  lay  along 
the  east  shore  of  Lake  Huron,  touching  at  Goderich,  Kin- 
cardine, and  Southampton,  with  calls  at  St.  Joseph  Is- 
land and,  of  course,  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  Continuing  across 
Lake  Superior  to  Fort  William  and  Port  Arthur,  the  re- 
turn trip  was  made  along  the  north  shore,  calling  at 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  posts  at  Red  Rock,  Pic 
River,  and  MIchlpocoten.  The  completion  of  the  Cana- 
dian Pacific  Railway  across  the  North  Shore  country  cut 
off  the  trade  with  the  fur-trading  posts,  and  the  Increased 
draft  of  larger  steamers  of  a  later  day  made  It  Impossible 
to  enter  the  small  inlets,  upon  which  most  of  the  settle- 
ments were  located.  Thus  the  more  direct  route  for  the 
through  traffic,  which  Is  now  of  enormous  volume,  was 
established. 

In  1883  the  new  and  powerful  steamer  United  Empire, 
of  two  thousand  tons,  was  built  in  the  Sarnia  shipyards; 
and  in  1890  the  Monarch  of  the  same  tonnage,  and  meas- 
uring two  hundred  and  fifty-two  feet  In  length,  was  turned 
out  of  the  same  yard.  These  large  and  stanch  vessels  re- 
placed the  fleet  of  small  steamers,  all  of  which  were  either 
sold  and  converted  into  lumber  barges,  or  were  wrecked 
on  the  bleak  and  rocky  shores  of  Georgian  Bay. 

Between    1880    and    1900   there    were    two   lines    of 


262  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

steamers  plying  in  Georgian  Bay,  namely,  the  North 
Shore  Navigation  Company,  organized  in  1880,  and  the 
Great  Northern  Transit  Company,  organized  in  1890. 
Competition  was  intense  and  resulted  in  the  former  com- 
pany assuming  by  purchase  the  steamers  and  assets  of 
the  Great  Northern  Company.  From  this  consolidation 
the  present  company,  the  Northern  Navigation  Company, 
was  evolved,  and  shortly  after,  in  1900,  the  Northwest 
Transportation  Company,  the  Lake  Superior  Line,  was 
absorbed  and  became  a  part  of  the  one  great  corporation, 
and  its  steamers  added  to  the  fleet.  The  progressive 
policy  and  careful  management  under  sound  business 
principles  of  the  new  transportation  company,  and  the  ad- 
dition of  two  mammoth  steamships  of  great  speed  and 
perfect  appointments,  have  left  it  in  complete  possession 
of  the  valuable  water  routes. 

The  present  fleet  comprises  ten  steamers  of  an  aggre- 
gate tonnage  of  nearly  twenty  thousand.  It  is  well  bal- 
anced for  the  various  requirements  of  the  different  routes 
covered.  There  is  the  little  twin-screw  JVaiihic,  new,  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet  length,  and  of  five  hun- 
dred tons,  for  the  tortuous  channels  of  the  Thirty  Thou- 
sand Islands,  and  the  splendid  Hamonic^  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  feet  in  length,  of  five  thousand,  two  hundred 
and  sixty-four  tons,  plying  to  the  Lake  Superior  ports. 
Then  there  are  the  two  package  freighters,  the  Ionic  of 
iron  and  the  Doric  of  steel,  which  transport  thousands  of 
tons  of  merchandise  in  a  single  trip.  The  westbound 
traffic  is  chiefly  general  package  goods,  while  the  east- 
bound  is  made  up  of  grain  and  flour  from  the  granary 
of  the  Empire  —  the  northwest  Provinces  of  Saskatche- 
wan, Alberta,  and  Manitoba. 

The  stout  oak  propellers  Germanic,  Midland,  and  Ma- 
jestic ply  on  the  Georgian  Bay-Mackinac  route,  making 
four  round  trips  weekly  during  the  tourist  season.  The. 
traffic  is  largely  farm  products  and  live  stock,  and  supplies 
from  and  to  the  thriving  little  towns  and  Collingwood, 


MERCHANT    MARINE    OF   CANADA     263 

which  is  the  largest  and  most  important  port  on  Georgian 
Bay.  The  new  twin-screw  Waiibic  runs  along  the  tortuous 
channels  of  Parry  Sound  division,  which  are  the  most 
winding  on  this  chain  of  waterways.  The  Lake  Superior 
division  of  passenger  steamers  is  composed  of  the  Saron'ic, 
of  oak,  registering  two  thousand  tons,  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty-two  feet  in  length,  the  Hiironic  of  steel,  thirty- 
three  hundred  tons  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  in  length,  and  the  new  leviathan  Hamonic,  completed 
for  the  season  of  1909. 

This  splendidly  appointed  steamship  Is  not  only  the 
largest  vessel  ever  turned  out  of  a  Canadian  shipyard, 
but  Is  the  finest  and  fastest  passenger  and  freight  vessel 
on  the  Inland  Seas.  In  point  of  general  arrangement  of 
decks  It  Is  very  similar  to  the  famous  Juniata  of  the 
Anchor  Line.  It  has  larger  power,  however,  and  conse- 
quently Is  much  faster  than  ships  previously  constructed 
for  the  Lake  Superior  trade;  and  while  not  actually  so 
long  over  all  as  the  North  JFest^  her  great  beam  makes 
her  the  largest  ship  of  her  class  ever  built  on  the  lakes. 
The  Hamonic  Is  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  In  length, 
fifty  feet  beam,  and  twenty-seven  feet  moulded  depth,  and 
has  five  decks.  The  hull  was  built  on  the  channel  system 
with  double  bottom  and  In  accordance  with  the  highest 
classification  of  the  Great  Lakes  register.  To  render  the 
ship  practically  unsinkable  the  freight  hold  is  divided  into 
eight  water-tight  compartments  by  steel  bulkheads.  With- 
in the  hold  there  is  space  for  thirty-five  hundred  tons  of 
merchandise,  while  upon  the  decks  above  in  parlors  and 
staterooms  there  are  accommodations  for  four  hundred 
first-class  and  seventy  second-class  passengers.  The  full 
crew  numbers  about  one  hundred  and  ten  men. 

The  motive  power  consists  of  quadruple-expansion  en- 
gines of  the  Yarrow,  Slick,  Tweedy  counterbalancing  type. 
The  cylinders  are  twenty-four,  thirty-five,  fifty-two,  and 
eighty  Inches  in  diameter  by  forty-two  Inches  stroke,  and 
are  supplied  with  steam  from  six  Scotch  boilers,  twelve 


264  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

feet,  six  inches  In  diameter,  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  working  pressure,  and  equipped  with  the  Howden 
forced  draft.  The  maximum  power  developed,  which  is 
rated  at  seven  thousand  horse-power,  is  sufficient  to  drive 
the  ship  under  usual  conditions  of  sea  and  weather  at  a 
speed  of  twenty-three  miles  an  hour.  The  auxiliary  ma- 
chinery consisting  of  steam  steering  gear,  steam  capstans 
and  winches,  pumps,  ash  hoists,  and  so  forth,  are  of  the 
latest  approved  type;  and  nothing  has  been  spared  to 
make  the  mechanical  equipment  of  the  ship  the  most 
complete  of  any  vessel  running  to  Lake  Superior. 

The  plans  of  the  Hamomc^  which  were  worked  out  by 
the  builders,  the  Collingwood  Shipbuilding  Company, 
were  approved  by  Frank  E.  Kirby,  the  famed  master  of 
shipbuilding,  and  the  decorations  were  designed  by  Louis 
O.  Keil,  whose  art  is  to  be  seen  in  all  the  best  examples 
of  lake  steamers  and  those  plying  the  Hudson  River. 

Other  fleets  of  Canadian  steamers  are  those  of  the  Ca- 
nadian Pacific  and  the  Algoma  Central  and  Hudson's  Bay 
Railroads.  The  former  operates  five  or  six  Clyde-built 
vessels,  which,  being  too  large  to  enter  the  canals  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  the  Welland,  were  cut  in  two  and  towed 
through  in  sections.  Then  they  were  put  together  again 
at  Buffalo,  for  service  between  Georgian  Bay  ports  and 
Port  Arthur  and  Fort  William.  The  Algoma  Central 
operates  four  steamers,  one  of  which  is  a  side-wheel  pas- 
senger boat,  the  King  Edward,  plying  between  Cleveland 
and  the  Canadian  Soo.  The  others  and  one  barge, 
the  Agawa,  of  thirty-three  hundred  tons,  are  package 
freighters,  and  are  feeders  for  the  railway  which  runs 
northward  from  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Ontario,  toward  Hud- 
son's Bay. 


CHAPTER    XX 

THE    BUILDING    OF    A    LAKE    FREIGHTER 

Wood  Unknown  To-day  —  Construction  of  the  Juniata  —  Scenes  in  the 
Forge  and  Moulding  Shops  —  Rolling  and  Punching  the  Plates  — 
Riveting  Everything  Fast  —  The  Steel  Skeleton  out  in  Yard  —  In 
the  Machine  Shop  —  The  Wonders  There  —  The  Engines  and  Other 
Machinery  —  The  Boilers  —  Inside  the  Hull — The  Launch  and 
Trials  at  Dock  and  in  Lake. 

A  LAKE  freighter  in  being,  like  all  things  else  of  a 
material  nature,  must  have  a  beginning;  and,  in  the 
present  age  of  iron  and  steel,  this  takes  place  long 
before  any  part  is  visible  in  the  shipbuilders'  yard.  The 
actual  beginning  is  when  the  iron  ore  is  dug  out  of  the 
earth,  scooped  up  by  huge  steam  shovels  on  the  iron 
ranges  of  Minnesota  or  Michigan.  How  the  raw  ma- 
terial is  hauled  by  rail  a  hundred  miles  or  more  to  the 
Lake  Superior  ports,  how  it  is  freighted  down  the  lakes 
to  the  smelters  in  Pittsburg  or  Chicago,  how  the  steel 
mills  then  convert  the  iron  into  structural  steel  for  ship 
material,  are  features  of  a  vivid  story  of  our  intense  com- 
mercial activity.  .  They  are  the  multiple  operations  of  a 
great  industry,  the  foremost  in  America  and  abroad,  the 
prosperity  or  depression  of  which  affects  the  whole  people. 
In  the  modern  shipyard  wood  is  almost  an  unknown 
material.  Only  in  the  joiner  shop  does  it  find  use,  and 
then  but  sparingly,  for  the  fittings  and  furnishings  of  the 
ship's  cabins.  The  shipyard  is  a  great  machine  shop,  with 
all  the  sights  and  sounds,  the  smells  and  very  taste  that 
make  the  atmosphere  of  the  foundry,  the  forge,  and  the 
rolling  mill.  For,  in  the  construction  of  a  steel  freight 
ship,  from  the  laying  of  the  keel  through  all  the  various 


266  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

stages  of  erection,  to  the  final  plate  and  the  last  rivet, 
steel  is  the  one  element.  But  for  this  purpose  it  must  be 
of  an  exact  and  uniform  quality,  every  pound  of  steel 
girder  and  every  inch  of  steel  plate  being  furnished,  after 
careful  tests,  with  the  last  atom  of  its  strength  known  and 
guaranteed. 

Taking  this  material  as  it  comes  to  the  yard  to  shape 
it  into  keel,  ribs,  and  arches,  to  roll  it  into  plates,  to  forge 
it  into  stem  and  stern  post,  to  cast  it  into  parts  for  the  en- 
gines, is  to  perform  Titanic  tasks  infinitely  more  intricate 
than  can  be  seen  with  the  eye.  The  collecting  of  the  parts 
and  assembling  them  into  the  structure  and  very  being  of 
the  ship,  by  riveting  and  with  braces  and  bolts,  thus  form- 
ing the  shell  or  hull  in  exact  accordance  with  the  specifica- 
tions, are  nice  tests  of  the  artisan's  skill.  But  the  launching 
of  the  vessel,  the  installing  of  the  machinery,  the  erection  of 
the  stack  and  funnels,  and  finishing  touches  here  and  there, 
completing  a  leviathan  of  the  lakes,  constitute  the  out- 
ward and  visible  evidences  of  the  expert  knowledge  re- 
quired in  such  work.  And  then  there  is  the  great  system 
in  which  some  two  thousand  machinists,  forgers,  riveters, 
and  engineers  are  working  in  full  accord  and  perfect 
harmony. 

Two  package  freighters,  so  called  to  distinguish  them 
from  the  coarse  or  bulk  cargo  ships,  of  widely  different 
material  and  construction  as  well  as  size  and  tonnage, 
will  serve  very  well  to  illustrate  the  remarkable  develop- 
ment in  such  carriers  during  the  last  twenty  years.  One 
is  of  wood,  the  Pennsylvania,  the  other  is  of  steel,  named 
the  Juniata.  The  former,  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  St. 
Lawrence  Transit  Company,  is  a  small  craft  as  lake  ves- 
sels average  to-day,  being  one  hundred  and  sixty  by  thirty- 
five  feet,  and  of  four  hundred  tons,  which  gives  her  a 
cargo  capacity  of  about  seven  hundred  tons.  Such 
steamers  are  of  service  in  trading  along  the  lake  shore 
towns,  the  channels  to  which,  because  of  shallowness, 
bar  the  larger  freighters. 


BUILDING   OF   A    LAKE    FREIGHTER     267 

In  the  days  of  the  wooden  ship,  when  the  Pennsylvania 
was  built  and  launched  with  the  enthusiasm  at  all  times  at- 
tending such  events,  the  work  was  a  case  of  main  strength 
and  the  woodworker's  eye.  The  designers  then  were  care- 
ful mathematicians,  as  are  those  of  to-day,  but  they  were 
dealing  with  oaks  and  teaks  whose  density,  elasticity,  warp, 
and  resistance  to  stress  and  strain  were  infinitely  varied. 
They  might  plan  and  make  calculations  which  seemed  in- 
tricate and  puzzling,  and  which  might  prove  true  in 
practice,  but  the  most  expert  of  them  could  never  tell  what 
the  mechanics  would  find  in  the  timber.  Hence,  much 
dependence  was  placed  upon  the  shipwrights'  judgment 
to  alter  the  figures  as  required  by  the  material  which  came 
into  their  hands. 

Aside  from  the  force  of  human  strength,  there  were 
only  the  block  and  tackle  and  the  aid  of  horses  to  lift  the 
heavy  oaken  beams  and  knees  into  place.  The  thud  of 
sledges  upon  bolt  heads,  the  dull  hollow  thump  of  the 
calker's  hammer,  the  shouts  of  the  men  to  the  helpers 
below,  the  puffing  of  the  sawmill  engine  and  the  buzzing 
of  the  saws,  were  enlivening  features  of  the  old  shipyard. 
The  smell  of  the  freshly  sawed  oak  and  the  fir,  and  of  the 
dank  logs  drawn  from  the  boom,  the  chips,  bark,  and 
sawdust  with  which  the  yard  was  paved,  and  the  sight  of 
the  old  timber  drydock,  are  things  not  soon  forgotten. 
All  this  is  now  of  the  past  excepting  in  a  few  yards  where 
repair  work  Is  done  to  the  still  stanch  and  serviceable 
wooden  craft. 

The  construction  of  the  Juniata,  an  exponent  of  the 
modern  fleets  engaged  In  the  general  merchandise  trade. 
Is  the  culmination  of  the  mariner's  highest  conception  of 
what  a  ship  for  such  service  on  the  lakes  should  be,  and 
the  shipbuilder's  long  experience  In  perfecting  such  plans 
and  carrying  them  out  successfully.  Built  at  the  Wyan- 
dotte yard  of  the.  Detroit  Shipbuilding  Company,  the 
steamer  Is  three  hundred  and  sixty  feet  In  length,  forty- 
five  feet  beam,  and  registers  four  thousand,  three  hundred 


268  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

and  thirty-nine  gross  tons.  She  has  cargo  space  in  the 
hold  and  on  the  main  deck  for  more  than  five  thousand 
tons  of  general  merchandise,  while  the  upper  decks  are 
luxuriously  fitted  up  for  the  accommodation  of  tourists. 
Her  route  lies  from  the  Lake  Erie  ports  and  Detroit  to 
Lake  Superior  and  Duluth.  The  building  of  such  a  vessel 
reveals  all  the  interesting  operations  and  surprising  meth- 
ods of  steel  shipbuilding. 

The  design  and  specifications  having  been  agreed  upon, 
and  the  contract  for  construction  awarded  by  the  steam- 
ship company,  the  working  or  shop  plans  are  prepared, 
lists  of  material  made  out,  and  orders  placed  for  all  that 
is  needed  to  be  worked  into  the  ship.  The  making  up  of 
the  requisitions  for  material  is  a  very  important  matter, 
as  it  is  necessary  to  have  it  all  sent  to  the  yard  in  as  near 
the  order  it  is  to  be  used  as  possible.  The  plans  go  to 
the  mould  loft,  which  is  generally  above  the  main  shop, 
where  the  patterns  for  each  rib  and  plate  are  raised  in  the 
form  of  templates  to  the  exact  size  required.  The  tem- 
plates are  made  of  special,  heavy  paper,  or  frequently  of 
very  thin  wood  scarcely  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 
These  large  patterns  show  every  line,  and  every  rivet  hole 
is  bored  so  that  the  rib  or  plate  for  which  it  is  intended 
will  fit  in  its  place  exactly  to  a  hair's  breadth. 

The  laying  of  the  keel  is  the  first  actual  work  of  the 
ship's  being,  and  consists  of  building  up  on  the  blocks  a 
continuous  steel  girder  for  nearly  its  whole  length,  but 
very  strong  and  rigid.  As  the  work  proceeds  the  angle 
bars,  which  were  bent  into  shape  according  to  the  tem- 
plates in  the  forge  shop,  are  brought  out  piece  by  piece 
and  riveted  fast  to  the  keel  to  form  the  ribs.  Then  the 
heavy  arches  which  were  forged  and  fitted  to  exact  size 
and  proportions  to  give  strength  and  rigidity  to  the  whole 
frame,  and  also  for  a  support  of  the  main  deck,  are  put 
in  place  by  that  mechanical  Hercules,  the  overhead  crane. 
Meanwhile,  other  gangs  arc  shaping  and  preparing  the 
plates  which  form  the  sides  or  walls  of  the  steel  shell. 


BUILDING   OF   A    LAKE    FREIGHTER     269 

All  is  hurry  and  bustle  in  the  shipyard,  and  one  is  im- 
pressed by  the  workings  of  a  wonderful  system,  for  all 
the  intricate  operations  go  on  like  clockwork.  From  the 
unloading  of  the  cars  of  rough  material  until  it  is  worked 
into  the  ship,  there  is  little  lost  time.  The  plate  comes 
to  the  yard  marked,  according  to  its  quality,  to  go  into  a 
certain  part  of  the  ship;  the  receiving  clerk  passes  it  on 
to  the  fitter  who  places  on  it  a  template  for  those  particu- 
lar plates,  and  marks  out  the  exact  outline  and  each  rivet 
hole,  so  that  when  it  reaches  its  place  it  wili  fit  to  a  nicety, 
and  the  holes  so  punched  will  correspond  with  those 
already  in  the  frames  of  the  ship. 

For  the  next  operation  the  plates  are  sent  to  the  shop 
where  are  the  ponderous  machines,  which  exemplify  most 
vividly  man's  control  and  mastery  of  steel.  There  are 
the  heavy  and  powerful  punches  which  with  one  steady 
thrust  punch  the  rivet  holes;  there  are  great  shears  which 
cut  the  cold,  stiff  plates  as  marked  by  the  fitter,  as  easily 
as  one  cuts  a  piece  of  pasteboard  with  scissors;  and  there 
are  huge  rolls  which  bend  them  to  conform  to  the  rounded 
shape  of  the  hull.  The  plates  are  then  passed  on  to  the 
erectors  who  fasten  them  in  place  with  temporary  bolts, 
and  who  are  closely  followed  by  the  riveters  who  rivet 
everything  fast. 

The  rivets  are  made  of  the  same  material  as  the  plates 
they  bind  together,  and  are  cylindrical  in  form  with  a  pan- 
shaped  head.  They  are  of  sufficient  length  to  allow  the 
other  end,  after  being  placed  in  the  punched,  countersunk 
holes  of  the  plates,  to  be  driven  down  to  a  head.  The 
riveters  are  very  expert  in  operating  the  pneumatic  rivet- 
ing machines;  and  the  work  goes  on  rapidly,  the  familiar 
rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-tat-tat,  the  noise  of  countless  blows  of 
incredible  quickness,  being  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  ship- 
builders, for  as  it  wakes  intenser  resounding  echoes  from 
the  hollow  shell  of  steel,  there  is  the  assurance  of  steady 
progress  in  the  work  at  hand.  Mechanical  science  has 
so  improved  this  feature  of  shipbuilding  that  the  very 


270  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

impact  of  the  riveting  machines  is  measured  and  may  be 
regulated.  The  operator,  knowing  exactly  the  energy 
of  the  blows  being  delivered  on  the  red-hot  rivet,  is  able 
to  gauge  his  work  to  a  particular  degree.  The  force  of 
man's  arm  wielding  a  sledge  is  indeterminate  and  it  is 
impossible  to  deliver  two  blows  in  succession  each  of  which 
will  do  precisely  the  same  work. 

The  riveters  in  turn  are  followed  by  the  painters  who 
cover  all  metal  surfaces  of  the  hull  with  graphite  paint  to 
preserve  it  from  all  corrosive  action  of  water,  steam,  or 
acids.  And  so  the  work  goes  on,  frame  after  frame,  plate 
after  plate,  girder  after  girder,  growing  day  by  day,  under 
the  efforts  of  an  army  of  busy  men,  into  the  semblance  of 
a  ship's  hull,  or  a  huge  hive  resounding  with  the  clamor 
of  steel  on  steel. 

Looking  through  the  shell  of  keel,  frames,  and  arches 
one  notices  radical  departures  in  model  and  construction 
from  the  earlier  steel  ships.  In  those  of  size  to  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  the  keel  is  not  much 
more  than  two  feet  in  height,  allowing  but  little  space 
between  the  outer  and  cargo  bottoms.  This  renders 
examination  of  the  plating  from  within  a  difficult  and 
disagreeable  task.  But  in  the  Juniata  and  ships  of  her 
class  the  keel  is  five  feet  or  more  in  height,  and  the  frames 
of  nearly  equal  thickness,  thus  affording  a  space  nearly 
sufficient  for  a  man  to  stand  erect.  The  bottom  and  sides 
are  built  on  the  cellular  plan,  divided  into  numerous  com- 
partments with  bulkheads  made  very  strong  to  resist  any 
pressure  of  water  they  could  hold  should  one  or  more 
be  filled  through  collision  or  hea\7  puncture.  Greater 
strength  is  obtained  by  this  construction,  as  is  perfectly 
plain  in  the  method  of  binding  together  like  one  huge 
steel  cylinder  with  double  walls,  the  steel  arches  acting  as 
girders  and  supporting  the  main  deck,  the  frames  or  ribs, 
and  the  keel  which  is  veritably  its  backbone. 

While  the  army  of  skilled  workers  is  building  up  the 
hull  of  the  vessel,  other  as  important  work  in  Its  being  is 


BUILDING    OF   A    LAKE    FREIGHTER     271 

under  way  on  the  other  side  of  the  yard.  In  the  great 
engine  shops  and  boiler  works  are  being  constructed  the 
propelling  machinery  and  auxiliary  engines  which  are  to 
give  the  ship  life  and  power,  and  without  which  she  is  a 
helpless  hulk.  In  the  draughting  rooms  the  machinery 
is  designed,  and  after  being  approved,  the  drawings  are 
sent  to  the  shops.  The  patternmaker  develops  the  full 
sized  patterns  of  each  separate  part.  These  are  sent  to 
the  foundry  where,  after  a  few  days,  the  castings  are  made 
and  sent  to  the  machine  shop.  There  each  piece  is  milled, 
turned  up  in  huge  lathes,  drilled,  or  planed,  and  finished 
ready  to  be  set  up  to  fit  exactly  in  its  intended  place.  The 
blacksmiths  are  busy  with  the  forgings,  which  are  also  sent 
to  the  machine  shop  and  finished  for  the  erectors.  This 
gang  of  men  sets  up  the  engines  in  the  shop,  fitting  each 
and  every  part  with  its  neighbor  with  the  utmost  precision, 
so  that,  when  erected  in  the  ship,  all  will  go  together 
quickly. 

The  machine  shop  is.  Indeed,  a  busy  place,  fairly  vibra- 
ting with  stirring  scenes,  and  to  one  unfamiliar  with  such 
things  everything  seems  in  utter  confusion.  Here  are  the 
great  shafts  made  of  the  finest  quality  steel,  some  finished, 
others  in  the  rough,  while  in  an  enormous  lathe  is  still 
another  weighing  many  tons.  It  is  being  carefully  watched 
by  skilled  mechanics  as  it  revolves,  nearing  completion  at 
every  turn.  There  are  also  the  heavy  bed-plates  of  cast 
steel  and  the  big  cylinders  of  like  material,  while  a  little 
further  on  an  overhead  crane  Is  taking  from  a  machine 
one  of  the  solid  composition  propeller  blades,  just  finished. 
When  placed  upright  on  the  ground  It  stands  as  high  as  an 
ordinary  man.  Smaller  parts,  such  as  piston  and  con- 
necting rods,  cross-heads  and  guides,  bushings,  levers,  and 
bolts  and  nuts,  are  scattered  about  everywhere,  while  the 
steady  hum  of  the  machinery  bears  witness  to  the  amount 
of  work  on  hand. 

When  completed  there  will  be  a  set  of  vertical,  quad- 
ruple expansion,  screw-propelling  engines  of  two  thousand. 


272  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

five  hundred  collective  horse-power  at  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  revolutions  per  minute.  The  cylinders  are 
twenty-two,  thirty-one,  forty-five,  and  sixty-five  inches  in 
diameter  by  forty-two  inches  stroke  of  pistons.  They  are 
to  be  supplied  with  steam  at  two  hundred  and  ten  pounds 
working  pressure,  by  four  Scotch  boilers  eleven  feet,  six 
inches  in  diameter,  and  fitted  with  Howden  hot  blast, 
rating  at  four  hundred  boiler  horse-power.  On  load 
draft  the  vessel  has  a  normal  economic  speed  of  fourteen 
miles  an  hour,  while  a  maximum  speed  of  about  seventeen 
miles  will  be  attained. 

The  boiler  shop,  as  is  usual  in  such  places,  is  in  a  perfect 
din,  for  here  are  being  made  the  huge  boilers  weighing 
fully  eighty  tons,  which,  besides  furnishing  steam  for  the 
main  engines,  also  supply  the  auxiliaries.  On  one  side  of 
the  shop  the  workmen  are  busy  with  the  smoke-boxes, 
uptakes,  and  stacks,  and  others  are  working  on  ventilator 
cowls,  steam  and  exhaust  pipes,  oil  and  waste  cans  and 
many  other  small  parts  of  the  equipment. 

In  the  joiner  shop  carpenters  are  at  work  on  the  fittings 
for  the  passenger  gangway,  the  main  saloon,  dining-room, 
staterooms,  and  ofllicers'  cabins,  while  the  jointers  and 
planing  machines  are  making  the  flooring  of  oak  and  work- 
ing up  pine  for  partitions  and  other  purposes.  To  obtain 
artistic  decorative  effects  rich  mahogany  in  choice  and  well 
selected  grain  is  used  very  largely  in  the  saloons,  and  white 
enamel  and  gold  effects  for  the  chambers  en  suite  and  the 
staterooms.  The  fire  hazard,  however,  has  been  con- 
stantly in  the  mind  of  the  marine  architect,  for  he  has 
carried  the  steel  construction  up  to  the  promenade  deck, 
thus  reducing  the  use  of  wood  to  the  minimum  degree. 

After  a  time  a  return  to  the  shipyard  reveals  the  prog- 
ress which  has  been  made  on  the  hull.  Instead  of  the 
skeleton  of  ribs,  frames,  and  arches,  one  finds  the  structure 
fully  plated  up  and  a  painter's  gang  going  over  the  sides, 
coating  them  with  black  water-proof  paint,  but  leaving  the 
bottom  and  a  narrow  strip  on  the  sides  to  the  water  line 


I 


BUILDING   OF   A    LAKE    FREIGHTER    273 

a  bright  red.  From  a  little  distance  it  looks  like  an  im- 
mense canoe,  but  conveys  an  impression  of  strength  and 
seaworthiness  quite  foreign  to  that  light,  bobbing  craft. 
On  the  fitting-out  dock,  under  the  high  shears,  are  the 
boilers  ready  to  be  placed  in  the  hull,  and  parts  of  engines, 
hoisting  gears,  pumps,  valves,  and  small  parts  laid  out 
ready  for  use. 

Climbing  the  long  steep,  inclined  way,  leading  through 
the  network  of  scaffolding  about  the  vessel,  one  reaches 
the  top,  forty  feet  from  the  ground,  and  steps  on  the  ship's 
deck.  Here  are  new  and  strange  scenes  of  confusing  ac- 
tivity. Gangs  of  riveters  are  still  busy  with  their  machines 
building  up  the  steel  walls  of  the  spar  deck,  finishing  the 
hatchways,  and  other  metal  work.  Peering  down  through 
a  funnel  and  ventilating  hatch,  one  may  get  some  idea  of 
the  width  and  depth  of  the  cargo  hold.  It  only  increases 
the  curiosity  to  explore  the  cavernous  depths.  By  a 
handy  though  uninviting  ladder  a  descent  is  cautiously 
made  for  thirty-odd  feet  to  the  inner  bottom. 

The  hold,  forward  of  the  engine  bulkhead  to  the  fore- 
peak,  is  divided  into  several  compartments  by  water-tight 
bulkheads  of  steel,  to  prevent  foundering  in  the  event  of 
collision  or  other  accident.  As  cargo  space  is  an  all- 
important  consideration  in  designing  freighters  of  this 
class,  the  engine  and  boiler  compartment  and  coal  bunkers 
are  placed  well  aft.  This  arrangement  insures  an  easier 
handling  of  package  merchandise  from  the  hold  to  the 
main  deck  and  thence  to  the  wharf. 

A  convenient  doorway  in  the  engine  bulkhead  admits 
one  to  the  mechanical  compartment.  First  there  are  the 
foundations  for  the  boilers  and  the  coal  bunkers,  and  a 
little  further  on  the  engine  beds  are  being  bolted  to  their 
steel  foundations,  with  the  thrust  and  line  shafts  already 
in  place.  In  a  few  days  the  big  boilers,  and  heavy  engines 
in  sections,  will  be  swung  aboard  by  the  towering  arms 
of  the  shears;  and  the  auxiliary  machinery,  such  as  con- 
densers, steam  pumps,  hoisting  gears,  and  electrical  plant, 


274  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

will  be  placed  in  position  and  connected  up.  Finally,  the 
screw  propeller  and  rudder  are  swung  up  under  the  over- 
hanging stern  and  secured  to  the  tail-shaft  and  sockets. 

In  the  shipyards  of  the  Great  Lakes  it  is  the  general 
practice  to  launch  vessels  sideways,  instead  of  stern  first 
as  elsewhere,  therefore  the  ships  are  built  parallel  to  the 
stream  or  slip  and  at  the  very  edge.  Under  the  ship  at 
intervals  of  eight  or  ten  feet  are  heavy,  smooth  timbers, 
extending  from  the  edge  of  the  stream  and  sloping  back- 
ward at  an  easy  angle,  to  form  the  ground  ways.  On  the 
eventful  day  regular  construction  work  in  the  shops,  ex- 
cepting in  the  moulding  room,  and  on  other  vessels  is  sus- 
pended, for  all  hands  are  needed  beneath  the  ship  to  pre- 
pare the  launching  ways.  The  utmost  care  is  necessary 
that  this  work  be  properly  done,  and  to  those  in  charge 
and  upon  whom  rests  the  responsibility,  it  is  an  anxious 
time. 

Early  in  the  morning  hundreds  of  men  are  building  up 
the  cradles  under  the  ship,  their  base  resting  on  the 
smooth  ground  ways,  which  are  greased  with  tallow,  the 
tops  of  the  cradles  bearing  up  against  the  ship's  bottom. 
When  all  the  cradles,  which  are  made  of  twelve-foot  tim- 
bers, a  foot  or  more  square,  are  in  place  in  two  long  rows, 
wooden  wedges,  which  have  previously  been  set,  are  driven 
home.  The  hollow  echoing  thud  of  the  many  sledges 
resounds  through  the  yard,  the  operation  slightly  raising 
the  heavy  mass  of  steel,  and  the  shores  and  blocks,  upon 
which  the  vessel  has  rested  during  the  months  of  construc- 
tion, are  knocked  away. 

The  ship,  resting  on  the  cradles  and  they  on  the 
smooth  ways,  would  slip  at  once  into  her  native  element, 
but  for  checks  placed  at  stem  and  stern.  These  are  five 
stout  lines  passed  under  the  ship  with  one  end  secured 
to  the  end  of  long  triggers  holding  the  cradles  to  the  ways, 
the  other  end  running  back  over  a  flat  timber,  and  drawn 
taut  by  block  and  tackle.  At  last  everything  is  in  readiness 
for  the  interesting  event,  made  doubly  so  on  this  occasion 


The  Charles   Whston   one  minute  before  iaunch 


The  Launch 


THt  Power    House,  Soo  Locks 


Undkr  the  stern  ue    the  (.'ii.iki.i-.s   IVesion  jusi    before  launching 


BUILDING   OF   A   LAKE    FREIGHTER     275 

because  the  new  liner  is  the  largest  and  fastest  yet  built 
for  the  combined  tourist  and  freight  service  on  the  lakes. 

A  few  minutes  before  the  hour  set  for  the  launch  the 
party,  composed  of  the  owners,  distinguished  citizens,  and 
pretty  women,  arrives  at  the  yard  and  assembles  on  the 
launching  stand.  This  has  been  gayly  decorated  with 
bunting  and  flags  to  be  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  and  en- 
thusiasm of  the  occasion.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  are  then 
unfurled  to  the  breeze  from  the  after  flag  pole,  the  ship's 
burgee  slips  out  from  the  foretruck,  and  a  pennant  high 
above.  The  customary  bottle  of  champagne,  tied  with  a 
delicate  ribbon  in  strong  contrast  to  the  huge,  black  hull 
towering  above,  is  hung  from  the  upper  bow.  The 
sponsor  poises  it  in  air  while  holding  in  her  other  hand 
a  bunch  of  bright  roses,  and  is  the  central  figure  in  the 
event.  All  then  being  ready,  the  party  waits  with  bated 
breath,  and  the  throng  of  spectators  below  with  eager 
expectancy. 

Then  for  the  final  act.  The  signal  is  given  to  cut  away. 
Five  axes  in  the  hands  of  as  many  brawny  men  on  the 
ground  below,  and  as  many  at  the  stern,  come  down  on 
the  lines  with  terrific  force,  —  they  are  cut  through  by 
the  single  blow,  —  the  triggers  snap  back  with  a  sharp 
crack,  —  and  the  huge  vessel  is  free.  For  a  second  or 
two  she  hesitates,  as  if  to  make  up  her  mind  whether 
she  wants  to  be  launched  or  not.  Then,  with  a  shout 
from  many  throats,  "  There  she  goes,"  she  starts  slowly, 
the  bottle  of  champagne  is  shattered  against  the  steel, 
the  christening  words  are  spoken,  and  thus  freed  she 
slides  bulkily  down  the  ways,  and  careening  slightly, 
plunges  into  the  stream.  A  mighty  wave,  almost  as 
high  as  the  sloping  deck,  rises,  sweeps  across  the  narrow 
inlet  and  dashes  its  unspent  force  against  the  docks  there. 
The  ship  rights  quickly,  straining  at  the  lines  as  if  im- 
patient to  begin  at  once  her  maiden  trip. 

To  make  the  event  still  more  interesting  and  to  insure 
the  ship's  good  fortune  on  the  sea,  the  gladsome  shouts 


276  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

of  the  people  are  taken  up  by  multitudes  of  whistles,  from 
the  shipyard,  from  factories  near  and  at  some  distance 
too,  from  steamers  and  tugs  and  private  yachts,  attracted 
to  the  scene.  In  a  few  minutes,  however,  the  loud 
screeches  die  away,  the  ship  rests  easily  in  the  stream,  and 
the  interest  of  the  day  is  over. 

Not  so,  however,  for  the  builders;  and  the  owners  — 
in  the  case  of  the  Juniata^  the  Erie  and  Western  Transit 
Company  —  are  anxious  to  get  the  ship  completed  and 
in  commission  at  the  opening  of  navigation,  in  order  to 
make  the  full  quota  of  trips  during  the  season.  There 
is  much  work  yet  to  be  done,  —  the  boilers  and  engines 
must  be  installed,  smoke  boxes  and  funnel  set  up,  number- 
less steam  connections  made,  the  joiner  and  cabinet  work 
finished,  and  touches  here  and  there  for  machinists  and 
painters. 

In  about  three  months  after  the  launch  the  ship  is 
ready  for  her  steam  trials  at  dock.  The  order  is  given 
to  get  up  steam.  Water  is  pumped  into  the  boilers,  fires 
are  lighted  in  the  furnaces,  and  in  a  little  while  steam  is 
popping  merrily  from  the  safety  valve.  Then,  at  the 
usual  signal,  the  throttle  valve  is  opened  ever  so  little, 
steam  rushes  to  the  cylinders,  the  pistons  move  slowly  and 
smoothly,  the  cranks  turn  and  the  screw  revolves,  giving 
proof  of  the  care,  skill,  and  attention  that  has  been  given 
throughout,  from  the  inception  of  the  design  to  the  tight- 
ening of  the  last  bolt. 

After  readjustment  of  the  machinery  where  needed,  coal 
and  stores  are  put  aboard,  the  builder  and  consulting  en- 
gineer for  the  owners  appear,  and  she  steams  away  for 
a  trial  spin  in  mid-lake.  She  may  cruise  about  for  several 
days  running  under  all  conditions  of  weather  and  sea. 
The  engineers  are  watching  for  and  noting  any  indication 
of  weakness  or  of  undue  strains  in  hull  or  machinery. 
Their  inspection  is  carried  to  the  smallest  machine  and 
the  connections  tested;  in  fact,  nothing  escapes  them. 
Her  behavior  in  answering  a  quick  helm  under  all  condi- 


BUILDING   OF   A   LAKE    FREIGHTER     277 

tions  by  the  action  of  the  steam  steering  gear  also  comes 
in  for  exhaustive  tests.  When  she  steams  back  into  port 
the  experts  are  ready  with  their  report,  but  the  tuning  up 
process  goes  on  for  probably  a  week  or  two  longer.  The 
furnishings  for  the  staterooms,  the  table  linen  and  silver 
ware,  provisions,  and  other  supplies  having  been  taken 
aboard,  the  new  liner  is  ready  for  her  first  trip  in  service. 
With  the  receipt  of  the  engineer's  report  that  the  ship  is 
ready  for  sea,  she  has  cost  her  owners,  all  told,  fully  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 


CHAPTER    XXI 

THE   QUEEN   OF   THE    WORLD's    LAKE    CRAFT,   THE 
Cirr  OF   CLEVELAND 

Launch  and  Description — Building  the  Engines  and  Boilers — Assemb- 
ling OF  Parts  —  The  Inclined  Cylinder  Engine  —  Its  Advantages  — 
High  Efficiency  —  History  of  the  Detroit  and  Cleveland  Naviga- 
tion Company,  Routes  —  The  Cleveland  and  Buffalo  and  Cleveland 
and  Toledo  Lines,  Steamers,  Routes,  and  so  forth. 

THE  launching  of  a  great  ship  is  always  a  novel  and 
thrilling  sight,  and  can  hardly  fail  of  being  highly 
instructive  to  the  landsman  in  numerous  points  of  marine 
architecture.  Even  though  the  long  anticipated  event  be 
scheduled  for  a  midwinter  day,  it  should  not  be  passed 
on  that  account,  and  It  is  well  worth  travelling  many  miles 
to  see.  If  the  vessel  thus  cast  into  its  natural  element  is  of 
the  modern  passenger  type,  the  graceful  lines  of  its  finely 
moulded  hull  change  continually,  as  the  spectator  on  the 
ground  moves  from  one  position  to  another.  From  bow 
to  stern  the  study  in  curves,  of  the  smooth  easy  outlines 
to  the  short  well-rounded  bulk  of  the  waist  section,  is 
pleasing  to  him  as  to  the  old  "  sea  dog." 

To  the  old  salt  and  to  the  fresh-water  sailor  the  huge, 
bulky,  and  deep-hulled  ships  of  the  ocean,  and  the  clumsy 
freighters  of  the  Great  Lakes  of  large  cargo  capacity, 
are  likened  unto  that  denizen  of  the  deep,  the  strong  and 
powerful  whale  —  the  giant  of  the  fishes  of  the  sea. 
Their  great-boned  frames  with  the  strength  of  steel 
sinews  and  almost  impenetrable  skins,  are  comparable 
with  the  stout  frames  of  steel,  the  keel,  ribs,  and  arches, 
and  the  double  bottoms  of  the  modern  liners.  Again,  the 
powerful  warships  of  the  nation   are  likened  unto  that 


CITT  OF   CLEVELAND  179 

stealthy  pirate  of  the  sea,  the  crab.  Its  broad,  short 
body  covered  with  a  stout  shell  and  with  grasping  ten- 
tacles, is  in  imagination  quite  like  the  heavily  armored 
battleship  with  its  bristling  guns,  boat  hoists,  and  out- 
stretched booms.  And  how  easily  the  imagination  follows 
to  the  graceful  and  sharp-prowed  passenger  steamers, 
which  may  be  likened  unto  the  mackerel,  the  most  active 
of  oceanic  fishes.  These  long  and  slender  fish,  it  is  said, 
have  hardly  two  bones  of  the  same  size  and  shape;  and, 
intended  for  speed,  they  are  entitled  to  the  distinction  of 
being  the  racer  of  the  sea.  The  ships  designed  for  fast 
passenger  and  express  service  on  the  Great  Lakes  are 
modelled  on  easy  lines,  tapering  to  bow  and  stern,  from  a 
somewhat  narrow  waist  section,  suggesting  the  propor- 
tions of  the  mackerel.  It  was  of  the  utmost  interest  at 
the  launching  time  of  the  last  leviathan  of  the  lakes  to 
know  that  there  are  not  two  ribs  or  frames  exactly 
the  same  shape  or  size,  on  the  same  side  of  the  frame, 
the  mate  of  each  on  the  opposite  side,  however,  being 
identical. 

Such  a  ship,  towering  high  on  the  smooth  ways,  stood 
ready  for  its  baptism  in  the  waters  of  Detroit  River.  It  was 
a  perfect  winter  day,  a  cloudless  sky,  and  the  sun,  shedding 
its  slanting  rays  beneficently  on  the  scene,  seemed  to  form 
a  coalition  to  render  the  notable  event  a  memorable  one 
in  the  annals  of  shipbuilding  on  the  lakes.  Precisely  at 
noon  the  launching  party  assembled  on  the  stand  at  the 
ship's  bow;  a  red  burgee  was  unfurled  from  the  fore- 
truck,  and  the  ship's  name.  City  of  Cleveland,  was  thus 
announced  to  the  public  for  the  first  time.  At  the  same 
instant  the  launching  signal  was  given.  Six  stout  lines 
which  held  the  big  mass  of  steel  on  the  smooth  ways 
were  cut  and  the  ship  was  free.  With  a  splash  of  cham- 
pagne on  the  bow  the  christening  words  were  spoken,  and 
the  ponderous  hull  glided  down  the  short  ways.  A  great 
wave  higher  than  the  ship  rose,  with  spray  thrown  high  in 
the  air,  and  the  largest  side-wheel  steamer  on  the  lakes 


28o  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

made  her  first  dip  in  fresh  water.  There  was  a  mighty 
shout  from  thousands  of  throats  and  noisy  shrieks  of 
many  whistles,  heralding  the  auspicious  event. 

This  large  and  luxurious  passenger  steamer  was  built  by 
the  American  Shipbuiding  Company,  at  the  Wyandotte 
yards,  for  the  Detroit  and  Cleveland  Navigation  Com- 
pany, and  she  plies  between  those  cities,  making  night  and 
day  trips.  The  dimensions  are :  length,  four  hundred 
and  four  feet  over  all,  three  hundred  and  ninety  feet  keel; 
fifty- four  feet  beam;  ninety-two  feet,  six  inches  width  over 
the  guards,  and  twenty-two  feet  depth.  Aside  from  the 
size  of  the  ship,  the  more  notable  features  which  appeal 
to  all  travellers  are  the  new  and  improved  devices  for 
their  safey  and  comfort,  and  also  the  magnificence  of  the 
decorations  and  furnishings.  Every  convenience  that  an 
ingenious  mind  could  suggest  has  been  installed  to  make 
the  night  trip  across  Lake  Erie,  or  the  six  hours'  day  trip, 
the  most  enjoyable  of  all  short  voyages  on  the  lakes. 
The  cost  of  the  ship  complete  in  every  detail  exceeded  one 
million  and  a  quarter  dollars. 

The  hull  is  constructed  of  mild  steel  up  to  the  main 
deck  rail,  including  the  main  deck,  which  is  sheathed  with 
wood  to  deaden  the  noise  of  loading  and  unloading  bag- 
gage and  express  matter.  All  the  deck  houses  and  paddle- 
wheel  housing  are  constructed  of  steel,  thus  insuring  the 
portion  of  the  ship  immediately  above  the  boilers  and 
engine  against  fire  from  that  source.  The  hold  is  divided 
into  ten  compartments  by  water-tight  cross  bulkheads  of 
steel.  The  double  bottom  is  also  divided  into  twelve 
compartments  arranged  to  carry  water  ballast  when  it  is 
desired  to  change  the  trim  or  draft  of  water  of  the  ship. 
On  the  guards  are  fitted  two  tanks,  one  on  each  side,  of 
twenty-five  tons'  capacity,  to  control  the  athwartship  trim; 
and  in  the  hold  just  forward  the  waist  is  a  one-hundred- 
ton  tank  to  steady  the  ship  in  a  beam  sea.  Powerful 
pumps  are  fitted  for  filling  and  discharging  the  tanks 
quickly.     For  the  absolutely  safe  control  of  the  ship  there 


Cirr  OF   CLEVELAND  281 

are  three  complete  steering  gears,  all  operated  by  steam, 
two  of  which  are  fitted  to  the  rudder,  while  the  third  Is 
connected  with  a  rudder  In  the  bow  to  facilitate  manoeu- 
vring In  the  narrow  stream  at  Cleveland,  and  in  moving  to 
and  from  the  various  railroad  and  fueling  docks  in  the 
Detroit  River.  This  is  easily  accomplished  without  turn- 
ing about.  To  accommodate  the  full  capacity  of  four 
thousand,  five  hundred  passengers,  there  are  seven  decks, 
namely,  orlop,  main,  saloon,  gallery,  promenade,  upper, 
and  trunk.  All  of  these  decks,  excepting  the  trunk  or 
topmost  deck,  are  connected  with  an  electric  elevator. 

The  designer  of  the  splendid  vessel  was  Frank  E. 
Kirby,  the  famed  master  of  the  difiicult  art  of  shipbuild- 
ing, who  In  a  busy  career  has  planned  many  of  the  float- 
ing palaces  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  has  to  his  credit  the 
design  of  the  Hudson  River  day  boats,  the  Hendryk  Hud- 
son, and  Robert  Fulton,  the  latest  addition  to  the  same 
line.  Louis  O.  Keil,  who  was  the  decorator  of  the  Hen- 
dryk Hudson,  was  given  the  task  of  beautifying  the  new 
City  of  Cleveland. 

Four  broad  gangways  are  provided  on  each  side  to 
permit  of  easy  handling  of  several  thousand  tons  of  ex- 
press matter.  The  passenger  entrances  are  aft  of  the 
wheels,  with  a  wide  opening  into  a  large  lobby  which 
gives  access  to  the  purser's  and  steward's  offices,  and  the 
baggage  room  and  dining-saloon.  From  the  lobby  a 
broad,  grand  stairway  leads  up  to  the  main  saloon  which 
extends  through  three  decks. 

One  of  the  leading  features  of  the  main  saloon  is  the 
mantel  and  fireplace  located  In  the  amidship  section  and 
connected  with  the  forward  smokestack.  This  feature 
adds  much  to  the  cheer  of  the  saloon,  and  comfort  of  the 
passengers  on  dreary  and  stormy  days  in  October  and 
November,  the  navigation  season  being  extended  to  about 
December  tenth.  A  large  assembly  or  convention  hall  is 
placed  on  the  promenade  deck  amidships,  and  is  designed 
to  accommodate  committees  and  delegates  in  their  meet- 


282  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

ings,  on  the  way  to  the  convention  City  of  the  Straits. 
This  room  is  finished  in  Circassian  walnut,  the  walls  and 
a  highly  decorated  dome  being  finished  in  the  style  of  the 
Elizabethan  period.  The  staterooms,  three  hundred  and 
forty-two  in  number,  are  all  on  the  saloon,  gallery,  and 
promenade  decks,  and  access  to  them  is  provided  for  by 
double  galleries  extending  around  the  main  saloon  with 
numerous  exits  leading  to  the  various  decks,  which  are 
kept  in  constant  communication  by  the  elevator  service. 
The  staterooms  are  large  and  conveniently  arranged. 
Every  room  Is  supplied  with  lake  water,  both  hot  and 
cold,  under  pressure. 

Twenty  splendid  parlors  border  on  the  main  saloon. 
All  upholstering  and  furnishings  are  of  the  most  tasteful 
and  luxurious  character  and  In  perfect  keeping  with  the 
colors  of  the  rooms.  A  bathroom  connects  with  each  par- 
lor; and  some  are  equipped  with  shower  baths.  Probably 
the  most  pleasing  feature  of  the  parlors  located  at  the 
forward  end  of  the  promenade  deck  Is  the  arrangement 
of  a  series  of  private  verandas  opening  from  the  parlors, 
and  enclosed  from  the  other  parts  of  the  outer  deck.  This 
Is  accomplished  in  such  a  way  that  parties  occupying  the 
parlors  may  be  entirely  secluded  though  having  a  full  and 
clear  view  outward  over  the  water. 

In  every  stateroom  there  Is  a  telephone  connected  with 
the  main  office,  and  when  the  steamer  Is  at  dock,  she 
Is  always  connected  to  ten  lines  of  the  city  telephone 
exchange.  This  Innovation  is  greatly  appreciated  by 
travellers  between  the  two  cities,  and  in  fact  from  distant 
points.  Upon  awakening  In  the  morning  at  either  city,  it 
Is  a  simple  matter  for  one  to  call  his  home,  and  without 
leaving  the  stateroom  tell  of  his  safe  arrival  In  port. 
Business  appointments  may  thus  be  made  before  breakfast 
and  without  the  least  trouble  or  delay.  The  ship  Is  also 
equipped  with  the  wireless  telegraph  apparatus,  so  that 
business  and  private  messages  of  Importance  may  be 
sent  to  any  of  the  principal  lake  ports  while  the  steamer 


CITT   OF   CLEVELAND  283 

Is  eti  route.  Nearly  all  the  telegraph  business  of  the 
navigation  companies  of  the  lakes  is  now  done  by  the 
wireless  telegraph,  and  package  freighters  and  the  ore 
and  grain  ships  are  rapidly  being  equipped  with  this 
improved  service. 

The  dining-saloon  is  located  on  the  orlop  deck  —  the 
one  just  below  the  main  deck  —  and  is  easily  reached 
from  the  lobby  by  broad  companionways,  and  also  by 
the  elevator.  It  is  seventy  feet  long  and  extends  across 
the  width  of  the  hull.  The  furnishings  are  most  elab- 
orate and  complete.  Two  private  dining-rooms  are  lo- 
cated forward  of  the  main  saloon,  and  aft  of  this  is  the 
buffet,  furnished  in  a  style  that  is  an  entire  departure  in 
steamship  decoration.  This  room  is  given  a  Venetian 
garden  effect.  Heavy  ceiling  beams  with  lattice  work 
entwined  with  vines  are  supported  by  massive  columns, 
while  the  Hoor  is  laid  in  large,  Venetian  red  tile.  The 
side  walls  are  decorated  with  landscape  paintings  and 
hidden  electric  lamps  of  soft  blue  cause  the  ceiling  to 
resemble  the  famous  Italian  skies  by  moonlight.  The 
seats  and  tables  are  of  appropriate  style. 

The  furnishings  for  the  cabins,  staterooms,  and  dining- 
saloon  are  of  liberal  quantity  and  comprise  fifty-five  hun- 
dred yards  of  carpeting,  two  thousand  mattresses,  four 
thousand  sheets,  and  pillow  cases  of  the  same  number,  two 
thousand  blankets,  five  thousand  towels,  thirty-four  hun- 
dred pieces  of  silver  service,  sixty-five  hundred  pieces  of 
china,  and  three  thousand  napkins. 

An  additional  protection  against  fire,  aside  from  the 
usual  equipment  required  by  the  United  States  steamboat 
laws,  is  provided  in  the  complete  sprinkler  system  leading 
to  the  fire  holds,  main  saloon,  and  wing  passages,  to- 
gether with  a  thermostat  automatic  alarm  system  in  every 
room,  which  will  give  alarm  in  event  of  fire.  Any  part  of 
the  ship  breaking  out  with  fire  would  be  immediately 
flooded  before  the  regular  fire  apparatus  could  be  brought 
in  play  by  the  crew.     The  entire  ship  is  ventilated  with 


284  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

cool,  fresh  air,  and  a  vacuum  cleaning  system  is  pro- 
vided for  removing  dust  and  dirt  from  the  carpets  and 
furniture. 

The  motive  power  which  propels  the  great  ship  at  a 
normal  economic  speed  of  twenty-two  to  twenty-three 
miles  an  hour  is  of  much  interest.  The  maximum  speed  is 
not  less  than  twenty-five  miles  under  favorable  conditions, 
and  has  earned  for  the  ship  the  distinction  of  being  the 
fastest  vessel  on  fresh  water.  The  engine  is  of  the  in- 
clined three-cylinder  compound  type,  driving  feathering 
paddle-wheels  connected  direct  to  the  main  shaft.  The 
high-pressure  cylinder  is  fifty-four  inches  in  diameter  and 
is  placed  between  the  two  low-pressure  cylinders,  which 
are  eighty-two  inches  in  diameter,  and  of  eight  feet  stroke 
of  pistons.  The  cylinders  are  fitted  with  Corliss  valves 
and  gear.  The  immense  paddle-wheels  are  twenty-eight 
feet  in  diameter,  and  the  feathering  paddles  are  fourteen 
feet  long  and  four  feet  wide. 

A  visit  to  the  busy  machine  shop  of  the  shipbuilding 
company  at  the  time  the  great  engine  was  being  assembled 
proved  of  absorbing  interest.  Almost  in  the  centre  of 
the  shop  two  of  the  immense  cylinders  were  being  placed 
in  position  on  their  bed  of  cast  steel.  The  huge  low- 
pressure  cylinders  weigh  twenty-three  tons  each,  and  are 
large  enough  to  permit  of  a  good-sized  truck  horse  being 
driven  through  the  bore,  or  a  seven-foot  giant  could  stalk 
through  the  tube  by  slightly  inclining  his  head.  The 
high-pressure  cylinder  weighs  seventeen  and  one-half  tons. 
A  little  further  along  were  the  great  pillow  blocks,  and 
scattered  about  in  what  seemed  endless  confusion  were 
bearings  for  the  heavy  shaft,  connecting  rods,  valves,  bolts, 
and  nuts.  Many  machinists  were  busy  fitting  together 
the  heavy  parts  of  the  big  engine,  every  single  piece  being 
machined  to  fit  exactly  in  its  intended  place,  so  that  when 
completed  the  utmost  power,  eight  thousand,  would  be 
developed. 

In  the  forge  shop  was  the  main  shaft,  in  keeping  with 


Cirr   OF   CLEVELAND  285 

the  monster  cylinders.  The  shaft  is  seventy  feet  long, 
twenty-four  inches  in  diameter,  and  weighs  in  its  entirety 
seventy-four  tons.  Each  of  the  outboard  sections  weighs 
twenty-nine  tons,  and  the  centre  portion  with  the  huge 
cranks  weighs  sixteen  tons,  which  gives  some  idea  of  the 
proportions  of  the  ponderous  mechanism.  Skilled  me- 
chanics were  at  work  in  other  departments  of  the  works 
constructing  the  auxiliary  machinery,  which  consists  of 
compound  feed  pumps,  fire  pump,  sanitary  pump,  fresh- 
water ballast  pump,  hot  draft  and  ventilating  fans,  double 
steam  steering  gear,  two  gypsy  capstans,  one  deck  cap- 
stan, and  a  combined  steam  windlass  and  capstan.  Two 
air  bilge  and  cooler  pumps  are  connected  to  and  worked 
by  the  low-pressure  engine.  A  hand  reversing  gear  is  in- 
stalled as  is  also  a  Nicholson  log.  There  is  also  an  electric 
lighting  plant  of  two  thousand  lamps  and  powerful 
searchlight. 

In  the  boiler  shop  there  were  being  constructed  the 
cylindrical  return  tube  boilers,  of  which  there  are  eight. 
Four  of  them  were  completed  and  moved  out  on  the  dock 
ready  for  the  giant  shears  to  pick  them  up  one  by  one 
and  lower  them  into  place  in  the  hull.  The  boilers  are 
thirteen  feet,  nine  inches  in  diameter  and  twelve  feet  long, 
and  weigh  about  eighty  tons  each.  They  are  each  of  four 
hundred  boiler  horse-power,  and  are  provided  with  two 
furnaces  fifty-two  inches  in  diameter  and  fitted  with  How- 
den  hot  draft.  They  are  allowed  a  working  pressure  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds.  The  boilers  are  placed 
in  the  ship  in  two  separate  water-tight  compartments,  each 
battery  of  four  boilers  having  its  own  bunkers  and  ash 
ejectors.  This  is  an  important  arrangement,  for  in  the 
event  of  one  compartment  being  flooded  from  any  cause, 
the  other  battery  of  boilers  would  still  be  in  steaming  con- 
dition for  service,  and  would  be  sufiicient  to  drive  the 
engines,  though  at  greatly  reduced  speed.  Two  smoke- 
stacks are  fitted,  each  one  hundred  and  two  inches  in 
diameter  and  seventy-five  feet  long. 


286  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

Captain  Alex  J.  McKay,  the  commodore  of  the  De- 
troit and  Cleveland  fleet,  commands  the  splendid  new 
steamer,  and  the  junior  officers  are  appointed  from  the 
roll  of  honor  men  in  the  company's  service.  Under  their 
guiding  care  the  majestic  steamer,  the  City  of  Cleveland, 
contributes  a  greater  meed  to  the  popularity  of  the  lake 
trip  between  the  "  Forest  City  "  and  the  "  City  of  the 
Straits." 

The  Detroit  and  Cleveland  Navigation  Company, 
like  the  great  navigation  company  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  and  Lake  Ontario,  from  its  early  days,  has  been 
an  exponent  of  the  side-wheel  type  of  steamboat;  and 
to  them  more  than  to  all  other  vessel  owners  is  due  the 
present  high  development  of  this  old  and  interesting  class 
of  vessels.  Fulton's  first  model,  and  the  successful  Cler- 
mout,  it  v/ill  be  remembered,  were  of  this  principle  in  the 
application  of  power;  and  for  nearly  forty  years  no  other 
means  of  driving  a  steam  vessel  was  devised.  In  later 
years  when  the  vertical  engines  used  in  the  larger  steam- 
boats had  reached  the  limit  of  improvement,  the  more 
economical  propellers  nearly  drove  the  side-wheelers  from 
the  lakes.  But  the  adoption  of  the  horizontal  engine 
of  an  improved  high-pressure  type  in  a  measure  changed 
the  trend  of  marine  development,  so  far  as  steamers  for 
passenger  and  express  service  were  concerned.  It  is  pos- 
sible, if  not  highly  probable,  that  the  inclined  cylinder 
engine  of  the  horizontal  type  will  have  a  large  bearing 
upon  the  perpetuation  of  the  side-wheel  steamer. 

The  most  important  feature  of  this  improved  engine 
is  its  almost  total  absence  of  vibration,  especially  when 
running  at  high  speed.  This  very  desirable  quality  is 
much  appreciated  by  nervous  and  sleepless  travellers,  and 
gives  greater  enjoyment  to  voyagers  of  the  lakes.  The 
smooth-running  and  silent  engine  communicates  to  the 
feathering  paddles  a  steady,  uniform,  and  powerful  mo- 
tion, free  of  the  jerking,  wrenching,  and  uncertain  action 
inherent  to  the  high  walking-beam  type.     It  eliminates 


CITT  OF   CLEVELAND  287 

the  annoyance  of  the  constant  pounding  and  creaking  of 
timbers,  which  were  so  characteristic  of  the  old-time 
steamboat.  The  machinery  of  the  modern  side-wheeler 
is  placed  low  in  the  hold,  with  scarcely  any  heavy  parts 
above  the  main  deck;  and  it  is  very  powerful  and  capable 
of  sustained  effort.  It  is  not  too  much  to  state  that  any 
one  of  the  latest  Lake  Erie  steamers,  equipped  with  the 
inclined  engine,  is  capable  of  a  sustained  speed  of  at  least 
twenty-three  miles  an  hour,  from  one  end  of  the  lake  to 
the  other.  The  Eastern  States,  the  Western  States,  the 
Tashfuoo  and  one  or  two  others  have  this  type  of  engine. 
There  are  no  screw  steamers  on  the  lakes  to-day  which 
can  equal  them  in  speed,  seaworthiness,  and  stability  in 
storms.  It  is  interesting  to  recall  the  fact  that  the  old 
gunboat  Michigan,  which  has  plied  the  lakes  for  sixty- 
seven  years,  has  an  engine  of  this  type,  though  of  the 
low-pressure  kind,  and,  of  course,  of  relatively  small 
power.  It  was  constructed  in  Pittsburg  at  the  time  the  old 
vessel  was  being  built,  in  1842-43,  and  is  said  to  be  in 
as  good  working  condition  as  when  installed.  The  me- 
chanics of  those  days  must  have  been  skilled  and  careful 
and  patient  workmen,  for  there  was  little  of  the  modern 
help  of  machinery,  and  most  of  the  work  was  done  by 
hand. 

In  the  early  days  of  this  well-known  line,  which  go 
back  to  1849,  *^he  only  route  covered  by  it  was  between 
the  cities  of  Detroit  and  Cleveland.  The  terminal  ports 
evidently  suggested  the  name  and,  as  the  Lake  Erie 
division  has  always  been  the  main  line,  the  original  name 
with  but  slight  variation,  has  clung  to  it.  The  original 
Detroit  and  Cleveland  Company  began  operations  early 
in  1850,  with  the  initial  steamboats  Southerner  and  Balti- 
more, which  were  continued  on  the  line  for  two  years. 
These  were  wooden  steamers,  one  hundred  and  seventy 
feet  in  length,  twenty-seven  feet  beam,  and  eleven  feet, 
six  inches  depth,  but  were  hardly  adequate  for  the  increas- 
ing traffic  which  came  to  the  line.     There  next  followed 


288  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

larger  wooden  steamers,  the  Forest  City  and  the  St.  Louis, 
which  ran  on  the  route  in  1852.  They  were  of  dimen- 
sions, one  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  in  length,  twenty- 
seven  feet  beam,  and  twelve  feet,  six  inches  depth.  The 
steamer  Samuel  Ward,  about  the  size  of  the  original 
steamers,  was  also  operated  on  the  day  trip. 

Late  in  the  Fall  and  Winter  of  1852  the  first  steamer 
to  bear  the  name  City  of  Cleveland  was  built,  and,  with 
the  steamer  May  Queen,  operated  the  line  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  1855  the  steamer  Ocean  was  added  to  the 
line  and  continued  in  service  until  1862,  when  the  decline 
in  the  lake  commerce,  due  to  the  war,  retired  it.  The 
steamer  Morning  Star  was  running  on  the  Cleveland  route 
that  year,  and  the  City  of  Cleveland  a  part  of  the  season. 
From  1863  to  1867  these  steamers  maintained  the  line. 
With  the  return  of  prosperity  and  increased  commerce, 
after  the  termination  of  the  war,  the  company  built  a 
still  larger  steamer  and  named  it  the  R.  N.  Rice.  It  was 
named  for  the  general  manager  of  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral Railway,  the  rail  route  to  the  West,  with  which  the 
steamer  line  had  close  traffic  arrangements. 

The  first  disaster  in  the  history  of  the  Detroit  and 
Cleveland  Company  occurred  on  June  20,  1868,  when 
the  Morning  Star  collided  with  the  bark  Cortland,  with 
a  loss  of  twenty-six  lives.  It  was  replaced  on  the  line  by 
the  steamer  Northwest,  a  large  and  fast  steamer  of  twelve 
hundred  tons,  built  in  1866  for  the  Chicago  trade.  The 
R.  N.  Rice  and  the  Northwest  ran  on  the  line  until  1877. 
In  that  year  the  former  steamer  was  partially  burned, 
and  the  steamer  Saginaw  took  its  place  for  the  rest  of  the 
season.  These  were  the  days  of  wooden  vessels,  for 
iron  in  shipbuilding  was  little  used  as  yet.  It  was  more 
costly,  as  a  first  consideration,  the  white  oak  timbers  still 
being  obtained  in  abundance  from  the  Michigan  forests, 
and  wood  was  believed  to  be  the  better  material. 

In  the  Winter  of  1877-78  the  company  undertook  the 
construction  of  a  steamer  to  replace  the  R.  N.  Rice,  and  it 


Cirr  OF   CLEVELAND  289 

was  built  of  wood  and  iron  in  combination.  When 
launched  it  was  named  the  City  of  Detroit,  and  was  the 
largest  and  finest  steamer  yet  operated  on  the  route.  At 
that  time  the  company  adopted  the  practice  of  naming 
Its  steamers  for  the  prominent  ports,  and  they  have  con- 
tinued It  since.  The  new  steamer  had  a  length  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  a  beam  of  thirty-six  feet,  and 
was  fourteen  feet,  six  inches  deep,  registering  nearly  one 
thousand  tons.  The  City  of  Detroit  and  the  Northwest 
maintained  the  line  until  1883.  In  1880  the  company 
adopted  the  use  of  iron  in  the  construction  of  its  future 
vessels,  and  that  year  built  and  launched  the  second  City 
of  Cleveland,  entirely  of  iron  up  to  the  main  deck.  It 
was  somewhat  smaller  than  the  City  of  Detroit,  meas- 
uring two  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  length  and  thirty- 
two  feet  beam;  but  both  of  them  are  still  in  service, 
though  operated  under  different  names. 

Along  in  the  early  eighties  the  increasing  lumber  trade 
of  the  Lake  Huron  shore  caused  small  booms  in  the  log- 
ging towns  of  that  district,  and  opened  up  a  considerable 
business  with  the  outside  world.  The  Detroit  and  Cleve- 
land Company  did  not  neglect  the  opportunity,  for  It  built, 
in  1883,  the  steamer  City  of  Mackinac,  and  established 
the  Coast  Line  from  Detroit  to  Mackinac  Island  and  St. 
Ignace,  with  stops  at  all  the  important  ports  along  the 
Huron  shore.  The  new  steamer  was  constructed  of  iron, 
and  of  dimensions,  two  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  length, 
thirty-two  feet  beam,  and  eight  hundred  and  seven  gross 
tonnage.  Three  years  later  the  second  City  of  Cleveland 
was  overhauled  and  renamed  the  City  of  Alpena,  and 
added  to  the  Coast  Line.  These  steamers  maintained 
this  route  until  1893.  In  that  year  the  company  built 
and  commissioned  two  new  steamers  with  gallery  decks, 
especially  for  the  Coast  Line,  the  new  City  of  Mackinac 
and  the  new  City  of  Alpena,  which  have  maintained  the 
line  since.  Their  dimensions  are :  length  over  all  two 
hundred  and  eighty  feet,  sixty-nine  feet  width  over  the 


290  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

guards,   and  register  seventeen  hundred  and  thirty-five 
gross  tons. 

By  1886  the  steamers  on  the  Cleveland  route  had  be- 
come inadequate  for  the  growing  traffic,  and  to  keep  pace 
with  the  times,  the  company  had  constructed  the  large 
and  fine  steamer,  the  third  City  of  Cleveland.  It  was 
of  one  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  twenty-three  tons' 
register,  and  measured  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet 
length,  forty  feet  beam,  and  was  the  fastest  steamer  of 
the  rapidly  growing  fleet.  A  departure  from  the  accepted 
arrangement  of  the  lake  steamers  of  this  class  was  taken 
in  building  a  second  berth  or  gallery  deck  and  raising  the 
trunk  deck  above  that,  so  that  the  main  saloon  extended 
upward  an  additional  ten  feet,  affording  almost  double 
the  sleeping  accommodations  of  the  old  steamers.  As 
this  new  steamer  was  much  superior  In  every  respect  to 
the  old  City  of  Detroit,  which  hardly  balanced  the  line, 
and  because  sister  ships  of  uniform  size,  accommodations, 
and  speed  were  desired  for  the  main  line,  the  company 
decided  upon  the  construction  of  the  new  steamer  City 
of  Detroit.  She  was  launched  early  in  1889  and,  when 
placed  on  the  route  to  Cleveland,  was  hailed  as  the  largest 
of  the  lake  fleet.  It  was  the  marvel  of  the  marine 
world,  and  for  twenty  years  has  run  on  the  line  through 
fair  weather  and  storms  on  regular  schedule,  during  nine 
months  of  the  year.  It  is  the  second  largest  steamer  of 
the  fleet  to-day,  and  measures  three  hundred  feet  in  length, 
and  forty  feet  beam,  and  registers  nineteen  hundred  and 
nineteen  tons. 

When  the  third  City  of  Cleveland,  built  in  1886,  was 
displaced  in  1908  by  the  new  City  of  Cleveland  already 
described,  its  name  was  changed  to  City  of  St.  Ignace. 
It  was  operated  that  year  as  an  extra  express  steamer 
running  from  Detroit  to  Mackinac  Island,  on  fast  schedule, 
with  but  one  stop,  at  Alpena,  and  made  three  round  trips 
weekly,  exclusively  for  the  accommodation  of  through 
^nd  Alpena   travellers.      With   the   large   and  luxurious 


In  the  upper  Weitzel  Lock,   St.  Mary's  River  Canal 


Freighters  entering  the  Poe  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River  Canal 


A   Blockade  in   Detroit  River   above   Ballard's   Reef 
A   Freighter   aground  in    the   narrow   channel 


The   H^iss.iiiukun 


CITT  OF   CLEVELAND  ^91 

steamers  City  of  Mackinac  and  City  of  Alpena,  of  practi- 
cally the  same  size  and  speed,  she  forms  a  homogeneous 
division  for  the  Coast  Line.  In  1909  the  City  of  St. 
Ignace  extended  the  run  to  Cleveland,  making  two  round 
trips  weekly,  stopping  at  Goderich,  Ontario,  on  one  trip 
each  week.  The  old  City  of  Detroit  was  known  for  some 
years  as  the  City  of  Detroit  No.  2,  and  was  operated  on 
a  line  from  Chicago  to  eastern  shore  ports  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan. It  remained  there  only  two  or  three  years,  and  was 
brought  back  to  its  native  waters  and  held  as  a  reserve 
steamer  for  the  fleet. 

Prior  to  1893  there  was  no  daily  line  of  steamers  oper- 
ating between  Cleveland  and  Buffalo,  but  in  that  year  the 
Cleveland  and  Buffalo  Transit  Company  was  organized, 
partly  by  the  owners  of  the  Detroit  and  Cleveland  Com- 
pany and  capitalists  of  those  cities.  The  original  steamers 
on  the  Coast  Line  were  rebuilt,  refitted,  and  renamed  the 
State  of  New  York  and  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  placed  on 
the  route,  making  nightly  trips.  The  line  proved  so 
profitable  and  the  traffic  so  heavy  that,  as  the  old  steamers 
were  too  small  to  take  the  natural  increase,  the  com- 
pany in  1896  built  the  magnificent  steamer  City  of  Buffalo, 
of  greater  dimensions  than  any  passenger  steamer  on 
Lake  Erie.  Two  years  later  another  and  still  larger 
steamer  was  added  to  the  line,  the  City  of  Erie,  which  is 
now  in  service.  She  is  three  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  in 
length,  forty-four  feet  beam,  and  registers  twenty-five 
hundred  gross  tons.  In  1900  the  steamer  City  of  Buffalo 
was  greatly  enlarged  to  dimensions  three  hundred  and 
forty-one  feet  length,  seventy-five  feet  width  over  the 
guards,  and  now  has  a  gross  tonnage  of  twenty-nine 
hundred  and  forty. 

In  1896  and  1898  when  the  first  steamers  on  the 
Cleveland-Buffalo  line  were  displaced  by  the  new  and 
larger  ones,  the  State  of  Nezv  York  and  the  State  of 
Ohio  were  placed  on  a  new  route  between  Cleveland 
and  Toledo,  touching  at  historic  Put-in-Bay,  on  day  trips. 


292  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

Every  evening  during  the  Summer  these  steamers 
gave  moonlight  rides  on  the  lake  from  each  of  the  termi- 
nal cities,  and  they  have  been  popular  steamers  wherever 
they  ran.  About  1893  the  old  steamer  City  of  Detroit, 
built  in  1878,  was  renamed  the  City  of  the  Straits,  and 
ran  on  side  routes  for  some  years.  In  1906  she  was 
partly  rebuilt  and  placed  on  the  Cleveland-Toledo  line, 
replacing  the  State  of  New  York,  a  smaller  steamer.  The 
latter  was  leased  for  several  seasons  to  the  Cleveland  and 
Buffalo  Transit  Company,  for  service  between  Buffalo 
and  Crystal  Beach,  a  resort  on  Lake  Erie.  In  1908  the 
State  of  New  York  was  placed  on  a  new  line  established 
between  Detroit  and  Saginaw,  making  semi-weekly  trips. 
She  is  the  smallest  of  the  Detroit  and  Cleveland  fleet,  just 
about  one-half  the  size  of  the  new  City  of  Cleveland,  but 
is  still  a  popular  and  trafSc-producing  factor  of  the  com- 
pany. By  1909  the  increasing  traffic  between  Cleveland 
and  Buffalo  for  the  water  lines  necessitated  the  placing 
of  the  steamer  State  of  Ohio  on  that  route,  making  day 
trips,  up  one  day  and  back  the  next,  with  stops  both 
directions  at  Erie,  an  important  port  about  midway  be- 
tween the  large  cities.  Since  then  the  Cleveland-Toledo 
line  has  been  served  by  the  steamer  City  of  the  Straits 
alone,  covering  the  route  on  alternate  days. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

THE  SIX-HUNDRED-FOOT  ORE  AND  GRAIN  CARRIERS 

Enormous  Traffic  through  Detroit  River  —  Unique  Types  of  Lake 
Steamers — Views  of  Salt- Water  "  Tar"  —  Design  of  Six-Hundred- 
Footers  —  Construction  and  Equipment  —  Dangers  of  Lake  Navi- 
gation—  The  Pittsburg  Steamship  Company  —  Its  Fleet  —  The  Gil- 
christ Steamers  —  The  Tomlinson  Fleet  —  The  United  States  Tran- 
sit Company  —  Hawgood  Fleet  —  Cleveland-Cliffs  Company  —  Wil- 
son Transit  Company— Pickands,  Mather  &  Company— Other  Fleets. 

THE  good  citizens  of  this  country  who,  with  an  ex- 
alted sense  of  patriotism,  are  worried  over  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  flag  of  the  American  merchant  marine 
from  the  seas,  should  find  some  consolation  in  the  fact  that 
considerably  more  than  one-third  of  all  the  American  ton- 
nage is  represented  by  the  Great  Lakes  shipping,  and  that 
the  lake  tonnage  has  increased  sixty-nine  per  cent  in  the 
last  ten  years.  More  than  half  of  the  tonnage  con- 
structed in  J 907  was  on  the  lakes;  and,  of  the  seventy- 
five  vessels  of  various  types  put  into  fresh  water,  with  an 
aggregate  tonnage  exceeding  three  hundred  thousand, 
fourteen  were  giant  ore  carriers  from  six  hundred  to  six 
hundred  and  six  feet  in  length,  fifty-eight  and  sixty  feet 
beam,  and  thirty-two  feet  moulded  depth.  The  cargo 
capacity  of  these  ships  is  nearly  twenty  thousand  tons 
of  ore  or  coal  on  a  draft  of  twenty-four  feet,  but,  as  the 
present  channels  in  Detroit  River,  the  St.  Clair  ship 
canal,  and  the  long  rock-cuts  of  the  St.  Mary's  River 
afford  a  maximum  depth  of  only  twenty  to  twenty-one 
feet,  their  capacity  is  reduced  to  about  fourteen  thousand 
tons,  or  in  the  grain  trade  to  about  four  hundred  thousand 
bushels. 


294  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

The  steamer  /.  Pierpont  Morgan  with  a  length  of  six 
hundred  and  five  feet,  five  inches,  is  representative  of  this 
type,  and  in  a  single  voyage  carries  a  cargo  equal  to  the 
combined  capacity  of  every  boat  of  every  description  that 
floated  on  Lake  Superior  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War,  every  steamer,  every  sailing  vessel,  every  barge, 
every  bateau,  and  every  canoe.  On  the  day  the  Morgan 
was  launched  her  captain,  who  had  been  detailed  by  the 
owners  to  bring  her  out,  stated  that  it  would  require  every 
regular  trip  of  the  first  steamer  he  commanded  twenty- 
eight  years  before,  for  two  and  a  half  years,  to  carry 
from  Duluth  to  Cleveland  as  much  ore  as  would  be  carried 
by  the  new  monster  on  her  first  trip. 

The  American  people  have  little  realization  of  the  enor- 
mous trafl^c  of  our  Inland  Seas,  and  some  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  lake  States  and  of  the  Middle  West  may  not 
know  that  the  commerce  of  these  great  water  highways 
now  exceeds  eighty-five  million  tons  annually,  —  all  carried 
in  a  navigation  season  of  about  two  hundred  and  forty 
days.  Figures  dealing  with  statistics  are  but  cold  evi- 
dences of  fact  at  best,  and  generally  give  but  vague  ideas 
as  to  volume  and  extent.  If  those  who  seek  the  more 
convincing  evidence  of  sight  should  spend  a  few  hours 
on  the  wharfs  along  the  Detroit  River  front,  which  faces 
the  world's  greatest  water  highway,  they  would  witness 
the  finest  parade  of  shipping  to  be  seen  on  the  continent. 
They  would  look  upon  two  processions,  one  moving  up, 
the  other  down  the  stream,  almost  without  interruption, 
and  representing  the  greatest  traffic  in  tonnage  and  value 
of  freights  that  traverses  any  marine  highway  in  the 
world.  If  the  observers  chose  a  day  at  the  height  of 
the  navigation  season  for  their  object  lesson,  and  re- 
mained at  their  post  for  twelve  hours,  they  would  see 
as  many  as  one  hundred  vessels  or  even  more,  of  various 
types  and  all  of  the  utmost  interest,  passing  in  the  busy 
stream,  on  an  average  of  one  vessel  every  six  minutes  of 
the  time. 


ORE   AND    GRAIN    CARRIERS  295 

There  would  be  the  old-timers,  the  "  rabbits  "  or  "  cof- 
fins," with  their  little  cargoes  of  salt,  coal,  or  stone;  the 
lumber  "  hookers "  and  barges  in  tow  with  their  high 
deck-loads  of  lumber,  shingles,  lath,  or  posts,  and  occa- 
sionally a  schooner  or  lighter  towed  by  a  puffing  tug.  A 
whaleback  and  barge  would  surely  pass  during  the  day, 
either  bound  down  with  iron  ore,  or  upbound  with  coal 
to  the  Superior  ports.  Out  of  the  haze  of  the  lower  river 
stanch  modern  liners,  looking  very  trim  and  bright,  would 
appear,  their  decks  crowded  with  lake  tourists.  Then, 
the  huge  passenger  steamers  of  the  express  and  mail  ser- 
vice would  be  arriving  and  departing  at  almost  every  hour 
of  the  day,  while  the  glistening  white  excursion  steamers 
pass  in  and  out  at  all  times  with  their  complement  of 
travellers  to  and  from  Lake  Erie  ports  and  Lake  Superior. 
Out  in  the  stream  the  hurrying  ferries,  which  form  the 
connecting  link  between  the  two  nations,  would  be  seen 
patiently  bucking  the  swift  current  in  their  regular  ten- 
minute  schedule  over  the  half-mile  course.  Others,  too, 
larger  and  speedier,  would  be  on  their  way  joining  the 
city  with  its  beautiful  island  park.  Belle  Isle,  of  which 
there  is  no  counterpart  in  all  America.  There  would  be 
scarcely  an  interval  in  the  passage  back  and  forth  of  the 
giant  car  ferries,  transporting  the  commerce  of  five 
trunk  lines  of  the  iron  trail.  In  this  great  display  of 
shipping,  both  up  and  down,  many  steel  ore  ships  of  the 
four  hundred  and  five  hundred  foot  class  would  be  hurry- 
ing to  and  from  their  terminal  ports;  and,  if  fortune  fa- 
vored the  observers,  they  would  see  one  or  two  of  the 
modern  leviathans  —  the  six-hundred-footers.  The  never- 
ending  panorama  is  greatly  enlivened  by  the  pres- 
ence of  the  steamers  bearing  the  immense  passenger 
traffic  of  the  straits  which,  in  the  navigation  season  of 
1907,  amounted  to  seven  million,  eight  hundred  thousand 
persons  for  the  port  of  Detroit  alone.  It  is  a  marvellous 
fact  that  of  this  large  number  not  a  single  life  was  lost, 
nor  was  it  even  necessary  to  bring  a  life  preserver  into 


296  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

use.  In  this  age  of  rapid  transit,  travel  on  the  Great 
Lakes  is  the  safest  mode  of  conveyance  Americans  have. 

In  a  single  season  of  navigation  the  number  of  pas- 
sages reported  was  nearly  thirty-eight  thousand,  about 
ten  times  more  than  was  recorded  for  the  Suez  Canal, 
while  the  aggregate  of  the  cargoes  exceeded  sixty-seven 
million,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  tons,  an  amount 
far  greater  than  that  borne  by  all  the  ships,  British  or 
foreign,  entering  the  ports  of  Great  Britain  in  an  entire 
year.  It  also  exceeded  the  total  merchandise  tonnage  en- 
tering the  harbors  of  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore,  Charleston,  and  Savannah  combined.  The 
lake  shipping  that  year  effected  a  saving  to  commerce  of 
eighty-nine  million  dollars,  represented  by  the  difference 
between  the  lake  freights  and  the  tariff  exacted  by  the 
railroads. 

To  transport  such  a  vast  quantity  of  freight,  made  up 
largely  of  coarse,  heavy  commodities  such  as  ore,  coal,  and 
grain,  ships  of  special  and  unique  types,  as  viewed  by  sea- 
faring men,  have  been  evolved.  The  lakes  have  presented 
their  own  peculiar  problems  to  the  navigator,  and  the 
naval  architect,  breaking  away  from  the  traditional  forms 
of  sea-going  ships,  has  produced  new  ones  better  adapted 
to  the  needs,  but  of  rig,  shape,  and  proportions  calculated 
to  stir  the  blue-water  sailor  to  astonishment  or  scorn. 
His  idea  of  what  a  lake  vessel  should  be  is  very  apt  to 
be  formed  by  the  types  he  had  sailed  on  the  ocean;  and, 
anyway,  sailing  on  water  that  is  fit  to  drink  cannot 
properly  be  called  navigation,  according  to  his  earnest 
belief.  An  old  Gloucester  tar,  grizzled  and  well  seasoned, 
was  once  cajoled  into  taking  a  look  at  the  Inland  Seas, 
and  upon  surveying  one  of  the  new  six-hundred-footers, 
delivered  himself  of  feelings  thus: 

"Now  dap  your  eyes  on  that.  D'ye  call  that  a  ship?  Such 
a  rum-looking  craft,  why,  d'  ye  know,  a  loggy  harbor  lighter 
with  a  tenement  house  on  one  end  and  a  match  factory  on 
t'other  would  look  better  than  that.  How 'd  the  cap'n  and 
chief  engineer  ever  get  acquainted  ?    And  what  if  one  or  t'  other 


ORE   AND    GRAIN    CARRIERS  297 

wants  to  borrer  a  chaw  of  tobaccer  from  the  other.  I  '11  be 
blowed  if  he  would  n't  have  to  make  a  half-day's  run  to  the 
other  end  to  get  it.  And  you  say  the  skipper  bunks  in  that 
skys'l-fo'c'stle  forrard,  while  the  cook  and  the  ship's  boy  has 
the  quarter-deck.''  Well,  I  would  n't  ship  as  rope-yarn  on  such 
a  bloody  drogher." 

Nevertheless,  the  six  hundred  feet  ore  carriers  and  nu- 
merous other  smaller  ships  of  similar  proportions  and  de- 
sign are  better  suited  to  the  requirements  of  the  lakes' 
service  than  any  other  types  would  be.  The  long  sweep 
of  deck,  clear  of  spars  and  superstructure  and  pierced 
with  hatches  from  one  end  to  the  other,  admits  of  the 
utmost  rapidity  in  taking  and  discharging  cargo.  With 
an  ore  chute  delivered  at  each  of  her  twenty-four  to  thirty- 
six  hatchways,  the  largest  ship  will  load  in  two  hours, 
and  five  to  ten  hours'  work  of  the  huge  "  clam-shells  " 
(unloaders)  will  clear  her  hold.  There  are  no  sailors 
on  the  lakes  to-day,  for  navigation  is  reduced  to  a  me- 
chanical science,  all  the  work  being  done  by  machinery 
which  has  been  invented  and  brought  into  general  use 
within  the  last  eight  or  ten  years,  and  which  requires  for 
its  operation,  in  a  modern  vessel,  anywhere  from  thirty 
to  forty  engineers,  machinists,  and  firemen.  The  ore 
docks,  built  especially  to  accommodate  the  new  ships, 
are  equipped  with  rapid-handling  machinery  of  the  latest 
type,  and  so  keen  is  the  rivalry  between  them  that  new 
records  have  been  established  time  and  time  again,  only 
to  be  broken  a  little  while  after  by  some  other  dock.  At 
the  ore-shipping  docks  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway 
at  Superior,  one  of  the  huge  freighters  took  in  five  thou- 
sand, two  hundred  and  fifty  gross  tons  in  thirty  and  one- 
half  minutes,  which  is  at  a  rate  of  ten  thousand  tons  an 
hour.  It  is  hardly  probable  that  this  performance  will 
stand  as  a  record  very  long,  but  it  serves  to  illustrate  the 
progress  of  one  phase  of  the  lake  shipment  of  ore  and 
coarse  freights.  The  Great  Northern  ore  docks  are 
seventy-three  feet  above  the  water  level,  sixty-two  and 


298  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

one-half  feet  wide,  about  a  half-mile  in  length,  and  have 
a  storage  capacity  of  eighty-seven  thousand,  five  hundred 
tons. 

In  designing  the  vessels  of  the  lakes  the  chief  prob- 
lem is  to  provide  requisite  strength,  considering  at  all  times 
the  disproportion  existing  between  the  length  and  beam, 
and  the  slight  depth  of  hold  rendered  necessary  by  the 
shallow  channels  of  the  connecting  rivers.  All  the  well- 
founded  principles  of  shipbuilding  have  been  ignored  by 
the  marine  architects  of  to-day  in  giving  a  ship  six  hun- 
dred feet  in  length  and  fifty-eight  and  sixty  feet  beam, 
a  depth  of  only  thirty-two  feet.  The  constructors  have 
had  to  bear  in  mind  the  quick,  choppy  seas  raised  by  the 
gales  of  the  upper  lakes,  in  which  the  strength  of  the  big 
ships  is  severely  tried.  To  the  lesser  degree  of  density 
of  fresh  water  is  due  the  breaking  of  the  waves  with  a 
quicker,  pounding  motion,  quite  different  in  character  from 
the  larger  and  comparatively  sluggish  billows  of  the  ocean. 

The  lake  storms  are  often  of  terrific  violence,  and  as 
there  is  no  room  to  run  before  them  as  can  be  done  at 
sea,  a  lake  ship  must  bear  the  stress  of  it  and  fight  it  out. 
At  such  times  a  loaded  freighter's  waist  will  be  awash 
with  green  water,  the  bow  will  be  buried  in  the  combs, 
while  her  whole  frame  will  be  twisting  and  groaning  under 
the  tremendous  strain.  Under  such  conditions  there  is 
always  the  imminent  danger  to  shipping,  of  whatever 
class,  of  foundering  in  mid-lake,  a  form  of  disaster  rarely 
occurring  at  sea,  where  the  perils  most  encountered  are 
those  of  a  lee  shore  or  collision  in  a  fog.  A  freighter 
without  a  cargo  to  lend  rigidity  is  in  a  situation  graver 
still,  and  on  one  occasion  the  captain  of  a  leviathan,  after 
battling  with  a  storm  on  Lake  Huron,  found  upon  reach- 
ing a  harbor  of  refuge  that  the  working  of  her  plates  had 
cut  thousands  of  the  steel  rivets  fastening  the  plates 
together,  and  several  hundred  pounds  of  the  rivet-heads 
were  taken  from  her  hold.  A  few  hours  longer  of  the 
struggle  with  the  lake  furies  would  have  sent  the  big  ship 


ORE   AND    GRAIN    CARRIERS  299 

to  the  bottom.  No  form  of  construction  has  yet  been 
devised  which  eliminates  these  dangers  by  a  guaranty 
of  strength  to  withstand  the  gales  of  the  lakes.  Only 
a  few  years  ago  a  Clyde-built  steamer,  which  had  weath- 
ered many  a  fierce  storm  on  the  high  seas,  was  so 
pounded  about  during  a  gale  on  Lake  Erie  that  her 
seams  opened  and  she  went  down  with  all  on  board.  In 
December  1909,  the  big  car  transport  the  Marquette  and 
Bessemer  No.  2,  with  thirty  cars  of  coal,  and  structural 
iron  piled  on  top,  turned  over  in  the  mountainous  seas 
of  Lake  Erie,  and  went  to  the  bottom  with  a  loss  of 
thirty-eight  lives. 

Profiting  by  the  experience  of  the  earlier  builders  of 
steel  ships  for  the  lakes'  service,  and  by  the  behavior  of 
the  freighters  In  the  five  hundred  foot  class,  the  construct- 
ors have  evolved  a  type  of  ore  ship  entirely  lacking  the 
defects  of  structural  weakness  inherent  In  vessels  of  such 
proportions,  and  still  retaining  the  desirable  qualities  of 
stability  and  speed.  The  last  requisite  of  a  successful 
model  has  been  secured  with  but  a  slight  increase  in  horse- 
power over  the  four  hundred  foot  class,  and  the  six- 
hundred-footer  requires  but  a  few  more  hands  to  man  her. 
With  a  rate  of  seventy  cents  a  ton  from  Lake  Superior 
to  the  Lake  Erie  ports,  the  temptation  to  build  to  the  limit 
of  structural  stability  Is  a  reasonable  one.  Many  vessel- 
men,  however,  believe  that  the  limit  has  been  reached, 
and  that  the  six  hundred  and  six  foot  leviathans  on  the 
Great  Lakes  will  hold  for  many  years  the  proud  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  "  largest  coarse  freighters  In  the 
world."  This  is  a  fair  prophecy  and  will  likely  hold 
true,  at  least  until  the  Government  provides  a  clear  chan- 
nel of  twenty-five  feet  through  all  the  waterways  of 
the  Great  Lakes. 

The  construction  plans  and  specifications  for  these 
ships,  showing  every  detail  of  the  work,  are  of  exceeding 
interest  and  are  a  revelation  In  present-day  methods. 
They  make  clear  the  principal   features  of  construction 


300  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

by  which  the  maximum  of  structural  strength  is  secured 
and  with  the  sacrifice  of  but  little  cargo  space.  As  a 
first  consideration  the  keel  is  of  unusual  proportions.  It 
is  built  of  sheet  steel  forming  a  continuous  plate  girder 
five  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long  by  six  feet,  three  inches 
wide,  thus  forming  between  the  outer  and  inner  bottoms 
a  space  sufficiently  high  for  a  tall  man  to  stand  erect. 
This  space  is  divided  into  numerous  small  compartments 
by  the  ribs  which  are  riveted  to  the  keel  on  both  sides 
at  intervals  of  a  few  feet.  Certain  groups  of  these  rib 
girders  are  perforated  with  large  holes  to  permit  the  pas- 
sage of  water  to  ballast  the  ship  when  running  light. 
Other  ribs  at  stated  positions  in  the  blue-prints  are  solid 
to  form  a  bulkhead  system  of  water-tight  compartments, 
any  one  of  which  can  be  filled  or  emptied  entirely  indepen- 
dent of  the  others.  Upon  the  top  of  this  strong  frame 
the  steel  inner  bottom  or  cargo  deck  is  laid.  Through- 
out the  midship  section  and  extending  forward  and  aft  to 
within  about  one  hundred  feet  of  the  bow  and  stern,  the 
outer  bottom  is  flat,  and  then  rounds  up  rather  bluntly. 
The  upright  frames  are  of  the  angle-bar  construction  and 
form  a  double  wall  or  sides  for  the  ship  for  about  half 
their  length,  sloping  easily  to  a  point  above  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  curve  to  the  arches. 

The  third  feature,  providing  added  strength  and  rigidity 
to  the  ship,  is  the  common  use  of  the  arched  girder  placed 
above  and  binding  in  their  stiff  grip  the  upper  ends  of  the 
uprights,  and  also  forming  rigid  supports  for  the  main 
deck  with  the  hatchways  between  them.  The  ribs,  up- 
rights, and  arches  are  all  constructed  on  the  ground  or 
in  the  moulding  shop,  and,  as  fast  as  they  are  completed, 
they  are  hoisted  into  place  by  the  cantilever  crane,  the 
long  arm  of  which  reaches  far  out  over  the  structure. 
The  various  parts  are  temporarily  secured  in  place  by 
bolts,  but  riveting  gangs  follow  close  after  the  erectors, 
and  the  constant  rap-a-tap-tap-tap  of  the  pneumatic  riv- 
eters testifies  to  the  progress  of  the  work.     The  plates 


SCFNE    IN    CONSTRUCTION    OF    StEEL    FREIGHTER     DaNIEL    J.    MORRKLL 
ABOUT    FORTY    DAYS    AFTER    LAYING    OF    FIRST    KEEL    PLATE 


The  Hull  of  a  Steel  Freighter  about  sixty   days  after 
beginning  of  construction 


ORE   AND    GRAIN    CARRIERS         301 

which  sheathe  the  frame  are  made  of  five-eighth  and  three- 
fourth  inch  mild  steel.  After  being  cut  and  shaped  to 
conform  to  the  rounded  form  of  the  ship,  the  rivet  holes 
are  punched  in  exactly  the  right  places  to  fit  the  holes 
previously  bored  in  the  ship's  frame.  They  are  carried 
from  the  shop  to  the  steel  skeleton  out  in  the  yard  by 
locomotive  cranes,  hoisted  into  place,  bolted,  and  riveted 
fast,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  component  parts  of  the 
frame  are  secured  toegther. 

In  order  to  secure  the  maximum  of  cargo  space  the 
propelling  machinery  is  placed  in  a  separate  water-tight 
compartment  in  the  extreme  stern  of  the  ship,  the  bulk- 
head between  the  machinery  and  cargo  holds  being  con- 
structed with  special  regard  to  strength  and  rigidity. 
The  boilers,  engine,  and  much  of  the  auxiliary  ma- 
chinery is  here  installed  very  compactly,  allowing  ample 
room  for  coal  bunkers,  and  oil  and  supply  chests.  Be- 
sides the  steam  steering  gears  there  are  steam  capstans, 
winches  and  hoists,  pumps,  and  an  electric  lighting  plant. 

The  engine  is  of  the  vertical,  triple  expansion,  screw- 
propelling  type,  developing  twenty-two  hundred  horse- 
power at  one  hundred  and  twenty  revolutions  per  minute. 
The  cylinders  are  twenty-four,  thirty-nine,  and  sixty-five 
inches  in  diameter  by  forty-two  inches  stroke  of  pistons, 
and  are  supplied  with  steam  at  one  hundred  and  eighty 
pounds'  pressure  from  two  Scotch  boilers,  fitted  with  Eaves 
and  Ellis  induced  draft.  The  boilers  are  each  fifteen  feet 
in  diameter  by  twelve  feet  long,  weighing  nearly  one 
hundred  tons,  and  are  rated  at  four  hundred  and  fifty 
boiler  horse-power. 

The  wheelhouse,  captain's  and  mates'  cabins  are  located 
in  the  extreme  bow,  and  are  finished  in  mahogany  and 
luxuriously  furnished.  The  flagship  of  the  fleet  and 
generally  two  or  three  others  are  fitted  out  with  an  extra 
cabin  and  staterooms  to  accommodate  the  owners  and 
friends,  for  a  trip  up  the  lakes  on  a  freighter  Is  quite  the 
"  thing "    In    midsummer.      The    crew    is    comfortably 


302  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

housed  In  a  large  cabin  on  the  quarter-deck.  Telephones 
connect  the  wheelhouse,  the  captain's  and  owners'  cabins 
and  the  engine  room,  fire  holds,  crew's  quarters  and 
galley;  and  every  other  device  for  convenience  and  com- 
fort is  provided  on  the  lake  giants  of  to-day. 

If  all  goes  well  the  machinery  will  be  installed  and  the 
finishing  touches  completed  in  about  thirty  days  after 
the  launch,  and  the  steamer  sails  away  on  a  short  trial 
trip.  The  machinery  will  be  stiff,  and  some  journals  will 
run  hot,  but  after  a  proper  tuning  up,  the  maiden  trip 
is  begun  in  about  one  hundred  and  forty  days  after  the 
initial  work  was  started  —  the  laying  of  the  keel.  The  en- 
tire cost  of  such  a  ship  will  be  about  five  hundred  and  forty 
thousand  dollars.  One  such  freighter  on  her  first  trip 
from  Escanaba  to  Chicago  down  Lake  Michigan  carried 
fifteen  thousand  and  eighty-one  net  tons  of  iron  ore 
on  a  draft  of  twenty  feet,  six  inches,  a  record  for  the 
time. 

The  normal  economic  speed  of  these  lake  giants  is 
between  ten  and  twelve  miles  an  hour  on  load  draft. 
With  no  unusual  delays  from  accident  or  loss  of  time  in 
loading  and  discharging  cargoes,  the  modern  freighter 
will  make  thirty  round  trips  between  Duluth-Superior 
and  the  Lake  Erie  ports  in  a  navigation  season,  trans- 
porting nearly  four  hundred  thousand  tons  of  ore.  This 
performance,  however,  is  contingent  upon  their  return- 
ing to  the  upper  lake  light,  in  ballast,  which  is  the 
practice  of  the  ore  carriers  operated  by  the  steel 
companies.  Many  of  the  independent  lake  lines  send 
back  their  steamers  laden  with  coal,  and  in  this  double 
service  about  twenty  round  trips  are  made  in  a 
season. 

The  Pittsburg  Steamship  Company,  which  is  the  hold- 
ing and  operating  concern  for  the  lake  transportation 
interests  of  the  United  States  Steel  Corporation,  owns 
and  controls  the  largest  single  fleet  flying  the  American 
flag  upon  any  waters  of  the  globe.     Through  consolida- 


ORE   AND    GRAIN    CARRIERS  303 

tion  and  by  purchase,  and  also  by  additions  of  new  steam- 
ships built  from  time  to  time,  the  fleet  has  grown  until 
It  now  numbers  one  hundred  and  five  vessels,  of  which 
seventy-eight  are  steamers  and  twenty-seven  are  barges 
and  schooners.  The  aggregate  registered  tonnage  ex- 
ceeds four  hundred  thousand,  and  the  combined  cargo 
capacity  of  a  single  trip  is  fully  three-quarters  of  a  mil- 
lion tons.  Every  single  unit  of  this  great  fleet  Is  of  steel 
and  may  register  anywhere  from  two  thousand  to  seventy- 
five  hundred  tons,  which  range  In  size  Is  representative 
of  the  development  in  the  merchant  marine  In  the  last 
twenty  years. 

The  era  of  steel  shipbuilding  on  the  Inland  Seas  was 
inaugurated  In  the  late  eighties;  and  of  the  Pittsburg 
fleet  the  Cambria,  of  dimensions  two  hundred  and  ninety- 
four  feet  length  by  forty  feet  beam,  and  of  nineteen  hun- 
dred registered  tonnage,  is  the  pioneer,  having  been  built 
in  1887.  The  following  year  the  Corona  and  Corsica, 
three  hundred  and  twelve  feet  In  length  by  forty  feet 
beam,  and  of  twenty-four  hundred  tonnage;  and  in  1890- 
91,  the  Briton,  German,  Roman,  and  Saxon,  of  the  same 
dimensions,  were  built.  Six  steamers  of  the  whaleback. 
type  of  ship,  which  was  greatly  exploited  at  that  time, 
and  of  about  the  same  size  and  tonnage,  and  two  barges 
of  twenty-two  hundred  tons  were  constructed  In  1891-92, 
and  also  six  smaller  barges  of  thirteen  hundred  tons.  The 
Colgate  class  of  three  steamers,  three  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  in  length  by  thirty-eight  feet  beam,  but  of  only  seven- 
teen hundred  tons'  register,  and  four  In  the  three  hundred 
and  fifty  foot  class,  of  twenty-two  hundred  to  twenty-eight 
hundred  tonnage,  were  built  In  1892. 

Until  1896  no  more  vessels  of  the  present  fleet  were 
constructed;  but  in  that  year  shipbuilding  was  revived 
along  the  entire  chain  of  the  lakes,  and  six  whaleback 
barges  of  the  Corliss  class,  measuring  three  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  feet  in  length  by  forty-four  feet  beam,  and 
of  thirty-two  hundred  tons,  four  steamers  and  three  barges 


304  OUR    INLAND   SEAS 

of  the  Bell  class,  three  hundred  and  eighty  feet  In  length 
by  forty-five  feet  beam,  and  registering  thirty-four  hun- 
dred tons,  and  two  schooners,  three  hundred  and  ninety 
feet  in  length  by  forty-eight  feet  beam,  were  added. 
The  four  hundred  foot  class  is  represented  by  six  ves- 
sels of  forty-eight  and  fifty  feet  beam,  and  of  four  thou- 
sand tons;  the  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  foot  class 
which  appeared  from  1896  to  1898  by  no  less  than 
twelve  fine  steamers  of  forty-three  hundred  tons;  and 
the  four  hundred  and  fifty  foot  class  by  as  many  first- 
class  steamers  and  barges.  This  completes  the  list  to 
1898. 

As  the  Government  increases  the  depth  of  the  navi- 
gable channels  along  the  connecting  highways  of  the 
Great  Lakes,  the  vessel  interests  are  quick  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  greater  draft  afforded,  and  build  larger 
and  deeper-hulled  vessels  to  utilize  every  inch  of  water 
in  the  straits  and  harbors.  Li  1898  the  steamer  Samuel 
F.  B.  Morse  was  built  in  the  Bay  City  shipyards  of  di- 
mensions four  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  length  by 
fifty  feet  beam,  and  of  five  thousand  tons'  register,  and 
was  considered  a  leviathan  of  the  lake  marine.  Nine 
others  of  this  class  followed  during  the  next  two  years, 
but  the  close  of  the  century  witnessed  the  advent  of  the 
five  hundred  foot  class  of  five  steamers,  each  of  a  carrying 
capacity  of  ten  thousand  tons.  A  lapse  of  five  years  fol- 
lowed in  which  no  new  ships  were  added  to  the  fleet,  but 
in  1905  four  splendid  steamers  of  the  five  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  foot  class,  and  with  a  beam  of  fifty-six  feet,  and 
of  twelve  thousand  tons'  burden,  were  built.  These  may 
be  called  the  Frick  class.  In  1906-7  six  of  the  largest 
and  strongest  vessels  of  the  six  hundred  foot  Morgan 
class  were  added,  thus  Increasing  the  already  immense 
carrying  capacity  of  the  fleet  by  about  fourteen  per 
cent. 

In  the  register  of  the  Pittsburg  fleet  there  appear  some 
of  the  illustrious  names  of  history,  both  In  the  discovery 


ORE   AND    GRAIN    CARRIERS         305 

and  exploration  of  the  Great  Lakes  region,  and  in  the 
advance  of  the  mechanical  arts.  Among  the  older 
steamers  of  the  early  steel  class  which  were  commissioned 
in  1 890-1  there  are  the  Griffin,  the  Jol'iet,  and  the  La  Salle. 
Coming  a  few  years  after  there  are  the  Robert  Fulton, 
the  James  Watt,  the  Lafayette,  the  John  Ericsson,  the 
Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  and  the  General  O.  M.  Poe.  To 
commemorate  the  names  of  others  of  a  later  generation, 
also  famed  in  the  sciences  and  engineering,  there  are 
vessels  christened  the  Bessemer,  the  Corliss,  the  Bunsen, 
the  Eads,  the  Krupp,  the  McDougall,  the  Roebling,  and 
the  Siemens.  These  vessels  were  all  built  prior  to  the 
present  century.  In  this  later  day  the  personal  aggran- 
dizement of  the  captains  of  industry  has  dominated  the 
choice  of  names  for  the  vessels  now  built  and  building, 
and  such  names  as  Corey,  Garey,  Frick,  Gates,  Perkins, 
Rogers,  Widener,  and  others,  appear. 

Ranking  second  in  Importance  and  In  number  of  ves- 
sels and  tonnage  Is  the  J.  C.  Gilchrist  fleet,  which  Is  en- 
gaged in  the  general  coarse  freight  trade.  Comprising 
this  fleet  are  thirty-four  vessels  of  steel  and  thirty-five  of 
wooden  hulls.  They  are  all  steamers  excepting  five 
which  are  of  the  barge  class,  two  being  of  steel.  The 
earlier  steamers  of  this  fleet  date  from  1874,  while  the 
others  in  the  wooden  class  were  built  In  the  eighties  and 
nineties.  They  rank  with  the  largest  of  the  wooden  ships 
afloat  on  the  lakes,  measuring  from  two  hundred  and 
fifty  to  three  hundred  feet  length,  and  from  thirty-six 
to  forty-two  feet  beam,  and  are  very  economical  car- 
riers. Many  of  the  steel  steamers  are  of  the  four  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five,  four  hundred  and  fifty,  and  five 
hundred  foot  classes,  and  like  the  vessels  of  the  steel 
trust,  bear  the  names  of  well-known  men  in  the  com- 
mercial world.  The  total  registered  tonnage  of  the  fleet 
Is  about  two  hundred  thousand,  and  the  carrying  capac- 
ity Is  somewhat  more  than  one-third  of  a  million  tons 
in    a    single    trip.      Included    in    this    are    the    two    fine 


3o6  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

steamers  of  the  five  hundred  and  forty  foot  class,  com- 
missioned in  1907,  each  of  eleven  thousand  tons'  cargo 
capacity. 

Mitchell  and  Company  own  and  operate  a  fleet  of 
nineteen  steamers,  of  which  all  but  three  are  of  steel,  of 
large  carrying  capacity,  registering  in  the  aggregate  eighty 
thousand  tons.  Ten  of  these  are  of  the  four  hundred 
and  twenty-five  foot  class  with  fifty  feet  beam ;  one  each  in 
the  four  hundred  and  fifty  and  five  hundred  foot  classes; 
and  two  in  the  five  hundred  and  forty  foot  class  with 
beam  of  fifty-five  feet,  built  in  1906.  The  Tomlinson  fleet 
consists  of  seventeen  modern  steamers  of  steel,  registering 
seventy-six  thousand,  seven  hundred  tons.  With  one  ex- 
ception, the  City  of  Bangor,  these  ships  have  been  built 
since  1902  but,  nevertheless,  they  illustrate  in  a  forcible 
way  the  development  of  the  lake  marine  in  recent  years. 
From  the  four  steamers  of  the  Sultana  class  of  dimen- 
sions three  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  length  by  forty- 
eight  and  fifty  feet  beam,  and  the  three  of  the  four  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  foot  class,  the  two  of  the  five  hundred 
foot  class,  and  the  four  splendid  steamers  of  the  five 
hundred  and  twenty-four  foot  class  with  fifty-four  feet 
beam,  to  the  Frank  C.  Ball,  five  hundred  and  forty-nine 
feet  in  length  by  fifty-six  feet  beam,  there  is  a  wide  transi- 
tion in  size,  power,  and  construction. 

The  United  States  Transit  Company  is  also  a  factor 
in  the  ever  increasing  commerce  of  the  Inland  Seas,  and 
operates  twelve  modern  freighters,  registering  fifty-one 
thousand,  five  hundred  tons.  They  are  all  of  steel;  two 
of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  length  by  forty-eight 
feet  beam,  seven  of  the  four  hundred  foot  class,  of  forty- 
eight  and  fifty  feet  beam,  two  of  the  four  hundred  and 
twenty-five  foot  class,  and  one  of  the  five  hundred  and 
forty  foot  class,  beam  fifty-five  feet,  built  in  1905.  The 
Hawgood  fleet  registers  forty-eight  thousand,  seven  hun- 
dred tons  and  has  a  total  carrying  capacity  of  nearly 
seventy-five  thousand  tons  in  a  single  trip.     Of  the  eleven 


ORE   AND    GRAIN    CARRIERS         307 

steamers,  nine  are  of  steel  in  the  four  hundred  foot,  four 
hundred  and  twenty-five  foot,  and  four  hundred  and  fifty 
foot  classes,  while  two  may  be  included  in  the  five  hundred 
and  forty  foot  class. 

In  the  ore  trade  are  the  twelve  vessels  of  the  Cleve- 
land-Cliffs Company,  registering  thirty-seven  thousand 
tons,  no  two  of  which  can  be  placed  in  the  same  class. 
The  steamers  range  in  size  from  eleven  hundred  tons 
to  the  modern  leviathan,  the  Wm.  G.  Mather,  of  di- 
mensions five  hundred  and  forty  feet  by  sixty  feet  beam, 
of  eleven  thousand  tons'  capacity.  The  latter  steamer 
is  one  of  the  few  (four  or  five)  on  the  lakes  with  a 
beam  of  sixty  feet;  and  the  others  are  of  the  six  hundred 
foot  class.  The  Hutchinson  freighters,  seven  in  number, 
register  about  thirty  thousand  tons,  three  of  which  are  in 
the  five  hundred  foot  or  over  classes,  one  being  five  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  length  by  fifty-five  feet  beam,  and  was 
commissioned  in  1905.  The  Wilson  Transit  Company 
operates  seven  steamers  of  steel  with  an  aggregate  ton- 
nage of  twenty-eight  thousand,  eight  hundred,  one  of 
which  may  be  classed  with  the  five-hundred-and-forty 
footers. 

Pickands,  Mather  and  Company,  in  naming  their  eleven 
vessels,  adopted  historic  names.  There  are  the  Appomat- 
tox, Constitution,  Kearsarge,  Santiago,  and  Victoria, 
while  the  largest  of  the  fleet,  in  the  five  hundred  and 
forty  foot  class,  reverted  in  its  christening  to  the  personal 
name,  Amasa  Stone.  The  fleet  of  James  Corrlgan,  eleven 
ships  in  all  of  various  sizes  of  steamers  and  barges, 
registers  twenty-three  thousand  tons,  and  comprises  three 
vessels  of  the  four  hundred  foot  class,  the  others  being 
of  wood  and  of  much  less  capacity.  The  Provident 
Steamship  Company  operates  three  large  freighters, 
aggregating  fifteen  thousand  tons,  built  in  1902-3. 
Other  smaller  lines  owning  giant  ore  carriers  are: 
Jones  and  Laughlln,  two,  five  hundred  and  forty-nine 
feet  long  by  fifty-six  feet  beam;   the  L.  C.  Smith  Transit 


3o8  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

Company,  one,  five  hundred  and  sixty-nine  feet  long  by 
fifty-six  feet  beam;  and  the  Cambria  Steel  Company, 
two,  six  hundred  feet  long  by  fifty-eight  feet  beam.  Sev- 
eral large  vessels  have  been  built  under  the  bonding  plan 
and  are  operated  independently. 


I 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

FOR   THE   FREEDOM  OF   THE   SEA 

Fulton's  Favorite  Motto  —  The  Lakes  are  "Inland  Seas,"  Supreme 
Court  Decision  —  Government  Works  Planned  for  Channels 
Twenty-five  Feet  in  Depth — The  Lighthouse  Service  —  Equipments 
of  Fog  Signals,  Buoys,  Spar  Markers,  Gas  Buoys  —  The  Life-saving 
Service  —  Stations,  Equipment,  Duties  —  The  Beach  Patrol  —  Cos- 
ton  Light  —  Life-boats  in  Surf  —  Power  Boats  —  Breeches  Buoy 
—  The  Dalton  Improved  Buoy  —  Thrilling  Rescues  and  Disasters. 

WHEN  Robert  Fulton  gave  expression  to  his  imagi- 
native zeal  in  the  phrase,  "  The  liberty  of  the  seas 
will  be  the  happiness  of  the  earth,"  he  voiced  a  senti- 
ment of  singular  potency  for  posterity.  For  he  said, 
*'  Liberty  on  the  seas  is  that  which  has  been  long  and 
anxiously  desired  by  every  good  man,  to  secure  to  Amer- 
ica, that  liberty  of  commerce,  tranquillity,  and  inde- 
pendence, which  will  enable  her  citizens  to  apply  their 
mental  and  corporeal  faculties  to  useful  and  humane  pur- 
suits, to  the  improvement  of  our  country  and  the  happiness 
of  the  whole  people."  This  insight  of  the  prophetic 
nature  of  the  famous  engineer,  in  the  light  of  the  cen- 
tury's achievement  in  marine  architecture  and  naval  arma- 
ment, is  very  impressive  and  reveals  a  profound  mind. 
His  favorite  sentiment  fairly  tingles  with  the  spirit  of 
optimism,  and  although  given  more  than  a  hundred  years 
ago,  has  lost  none  of  its  stirring  appeal  to  the  patriotism 
of  to-day. 

With  all  his  breadth  of  vision,  Fulton  could  hardly 
have  included  the  great  inland  lakes  in  the  category  of 
seas,  for,  at  the  time  when  inland  navigation  was  given 
impetus  by  the  early  steamboats,  nearly  all  the  region 


3IO  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

was  a  vast  wilderness.  The  depths  of  the  forest  and  the 
by-paths  of  the  savages  were  yet  untrod  by  white  men. 
The  fresh-water  breezes  and  the  quick,  choppy  seas  raised 
by  them,  and  the  scenes  along  the  lake  shores,  were 
almost  unknown  to  the  people  of  New  England  and  other 
Atlantic  States.  But  Fulton  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  development  of  inland  water  commerce,  and  his  plans 
for  a  great  canal  system,  including  the  "  Grand  Erie,"  to 
tap  the  western  country,  were  marvels  of  the  age. 

Ever  since  the  Clermont,  by  her  regular  trips  on  the 
Hudson  River,  proved  the  practicability  of  steam  pro- 
pulsion of  vessels,  the  tendency  in  shipbuilding  has  been 
toward  larger  and  deeper  hulls  with  a  consequently  in- 
creased carrying  capacity.  This  was  one  of  the  factors 
in  the  evolution  of  the  slow  and  uncertain  sailing  vessel 
to  the  steamer;  but  to  float  the  larger  vessels,  deeper 
and  broader  channels  in  the  connecting  straits  between 
the  lakes  and  in  the  numerous  harbors,  were  soon  found 
to  be  necessary.  So  urgent  was  the  need  for  an  improve- 
ment of  the  waterways  that  the  issue  finally  became  one  of 
national  importance.  But  the  Government  was  slow  to 
act  in  the  matter,  —  to  commit  itself  to  a  policy  of  internal 
improvement,  which  might  involve  it  in  an  expenditure 
of  millions  of  dollars  for  a  doubtful  benefit  to  any  one. 

It  was  not  until  1871  that  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  declared  all  the  upper  lakes,  including  Lake 
Erie,  to  be  seas,  commercially  and  legally.  Congress 
under  this  decision  is  empowered  to  improve  the  harbors 
of  the  lakes  and  the  channels  of  the  connecting  water- 
ways, precisely  as  it  has  power  to  do  the  same  on  the 
seaboard.  This  has  led  to  a  vigorous  policy  in  making 
provision  for  the  increase  of  the  lake  tonnage,  the  en- 
couragement in  building  larger  vessels,  and  for  the 
safety  of  commerce  and  the  protection  of  life. 

Throughout  the  entire  chain  of  Great  Lakes  the  Gov- 
ernment engineering  corps  and  dredging  contractors  are 
busily  engaged  in  removing  the  obstructions  Nature  has 


FOR   THE    FREEDOM    OF    THE    SEA     311 

placed  as  a  handicap  to  the  free  navigation  of  channels 
and  harbors.  In  some  places  these  works  are  of  great 
magnitude,  as  at  the  Limekiln  Crossing  in  the  lower  De- 
troit River,  the  new  Livingstone  Channel  through  the 
western  delta  of  this  river,  and  the  new  canal  and  locks 
at  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  All  improvements  of  a  permanent 
nature  are  directed  toward  an  ultimate  depth  of  twenty- 
five  feet  in  harbor  and  rivers  from  the  head  of  Lake  Su- 
perior to  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie,  and  including  the  larger 
ports  of  Lake  Michigan.  Upon  the  opening  of  navigation 
in  19 10  the  maximum  depth  through  the  watercourses, 
rock  cuts,  canals,  and  locks  was  twenty-one  feet,  and  the 
aim  of  the  Government  engineers  and  contractors  is  to 
effect  a  deepening  of  one  foot  a  year  until  the  entire  work 
is  completed.  This,  it  is  believed,  will  meet  the  demands 
of  the  Great  Lakes  marine  for  some  years  to  come. 

For  the  safety  of  inland  navigation  and  the  protection 
of  life,  lighthouses  and  lightships  mark  every  rocky  and 
dangerous  coast,  every  treacherous  reef  and  shoal,  while 
countless  spar  and  gas  buoys,  bell  and  whistling  buoys, 
and  other  beacons,  guide  or  warn  the  lake  mariners 
through  the  channels  of  river  and  harbor.  Life-saving 
stations  as  fully  equipped  and  as  efficient  in  force  as  any 
on  the  seaboard,  are  placed  at  dangerous  points  along 
the  lake  shores  where  disaster  through  storm  or  a  rocky 
coast  is  imminent.  There  are  harbors  of  refuge  and  the 
beach  patrol;  there  are  the  Government  weather  reports 
and  warnings  of  approaching  gales,  and  the  inspection 
bureaus;  and  there  are  fire  boats  and  powerful  wreckers 
to  protect  and  save,  or  recover  vessel  property.  And, 
besides  these  safeguards  there  is  the  Government  survey 
and  engineering  corps,  which  sounds  the  shallow  waters 
and  sweeps  the  lakes'  beds,  and  thus  recharts  the  treach- 
erous channels,  marks  the  shifting  sands  of  shoals,  sunken 
wrecks,  or  hidden  obstructions  to  free  navigation, 

Thus  to-day,  with  every  appliance  that  the  genius  of 
man  can  devise  and  a  liberal  Government  can  provide  for 


312  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

safety,  with  the  wide  expanse  of  fresh  water  and  the 
canals  of  both  nations  open  and  free  to  the  world,  and 
with  the  greatest  waterborne  commerce  of  any  Inland 
lakes,  the  expression,  "  The  liberty  of  the  seas  will  be 
the  happiness  of  the  earth  "  as  applicable  to  the  "  Glt- 
che-ga-me,"  the  "  big  sea  water,"  Is  most  appropriate  and 
Impressive. 

The  lighthouse  establishment  on  the  great  Inland  Seas 
is  a  function  of  the  United  States  Lighthouse  Board,  the 
scope  of  which  is  greater  than  that  of  any  similar  body  In 
the  world.  The  entire  chain  of  lakes  is  divided  into  three 
districts,  and,  of  nearly  two  thousand  aids  to  navigation 
which  are  maintained  from  April  to  December,  more 
than  six  hundred  are  lights.  These  may  be  classified  as 
fixed,  those  which  are  mounted  on  high  stone  shafts,  on 
cribs  or  posts  and  which  number  about  four  hundred  and 
sixty-five,  and  floating,  which  comprise  twelve  lightships 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  gas-lighted  buoys.  In 
addition  to  these  there  are  one  hundred  and  fourteen  bell 
or  whistling  fog  signals  connected  with  the  light  stations, 
and  numerous  daymarkers,  such  as  spar  and  can  buoys 
on  station. 

All  these  safeguards,  of  one  kind  or  another,  are  placed 
wherever  there  is  the  least  danger  of  disaster  overtaking 
the  lake  craft,  the  distribution  being  made  with  regard 
to  the  nature  of  the  obstruction.  In  places  where  light- 
houses cannot  be  built  to  withstand  the  gales  or  ice-jams, 
which  are  prevalent  for  several  months  of  the  year,  light- 
ships of  peculiar  construction  but  of  great  strength,  and 
securely  anchored  on  the  reef  or  shoal,  carry  the  warning 
beacon.  The  numerous  gas  buoys,  bell  and  whistling 
buoys  fill  in  the  gaps  between  the  more  dangerous  points, 
and  in  rivers  and  harbors,  while  the  spar  and  pile  markers 
of  narrow  channels  serve  a  like  purpose  by  day.  So  thick 
are  the  lights  along  the  highways  of  the  lakes,  that  coast- 
ing vessels  are  seldom  beyond  the  range  of  one  beacon 
before  another  comes  in  sight.     Their  lights  overlap,  and 


Light  at  entrance  to  Ship  Canal,  Lake   St.  Clair 


Steamer   passing  the  Lighthouse 


Jl^^^. 

ijf 

Ik  k&^^.  'A^ 

'-rt-  ■ 

1 

On   the   St.  Clair  River 


St.  Clair   Flats 


FOR    THE    FREEDOM    OF   THE    SEA     313 

in  some  places  are  so  thickly  clustered  that  there  are  no 
dark  spots  in  which  a  ship  may  be  lost.  Upon  any  of 
the  three  upper  lakes  a  vessel  may  steam  at  fair  speed  for 
a  day  and  a  night  far  beyond  the  sight  of  land,  and  yet 
be  as  safe  as  on  the  broad  expanse  of  the  ocean.  Every 
hidden  reef  and  shoaling  waters  has  its  gleaming  shaft 
of  light  penetrating  the  blackness  of  night  for  twenty  miles 
in  clear  weather.  The  approach  to  a  sandy  cape  or  rocky 
coast  is  likewise  made  known  to  the  mariner,  while,  in  the 
twisting  turns  of  river  and  harbor  channels,  the  range 
lights  guide  and  direct  the  pilots  to  a  safe  port. 

In  striking  contrast  to  the  present-day  institution  were 
the  meagre  means  —  the  almost  pathetic  efforts  of  a  cen- 
tury or  more  ago  to  light  the  mariner  on  his  way.  Then 
any  kind  of  rude  structure  on  a  headland  or  barren  crag 
bearing  its  pitch  and  oakum  fires,  or  even  wood  bonfires 
on  a  sandy  beach,  flickering  a  fitful  light  over  the  water 
for  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  more,  were  about  the  only 
warning  signals.  There  were  no  stakes  to  mark  the  wind- 
ing channels  or  shifting  shoals  and  few  landmarks  to  show 
the  safe  way;  and  besides,  the  crude  charts  then  in  use 
were  inadequate  and  unreliable.  Navigation  at  night  ex- 
cepting in  the  open  lake  was  attended  with  such  dangers 
as  to  be  almost  impossible,  and  cautious  mariners  usually 
anchored  in  some  bay  or  cove  until  dawn.  To-day  there 
are  great  towers  of  steel  or  masonry  and  concrete,  solid 
and  integral  with  the  ledges,  and  lighted  by  oil  lamps  of 
great  range  showing  a  fixed  white  eye,  a  flashing  light 
of  white  or  red,  or  a  fixed  red. 

The  wonderful  lenticular  apparatus  of  the  revolving 
type  is  as  reliable  as  human  ingenuity  can  devise.  It  con- 
sists of  a  large  cage,  in  which  a  man  can  stand  erect  and 
have  three  feet  of  space  to  spare,  with  an  arrangement  of 
prisms  and  lenses  so  that  all  the  light  from  the  lamp 
within  is  collected  and  sent  out  in  one  direction  over  the 
sea  and  parallel  to  it.  Scarcely  any  light  is  lost  up  or 
down  as  it  is  collected,  reflected,  and  refracted  where  it 


314  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

will  do  the  most  good.  If  a  lighthouse  is  on  the  coast 
none  of  the  precious  rays  is  lost  to  the  land  side;  they  are 
all  united  in  the  one  brilliant  beam  seaward.  Electricity 
has  not  supplanted  the  oil  lamp  because  of  the  difficulty 
in  keeping  the  light  in  the  centre  of  the  focal  point  of 
the  lens  cages,  the  carbons  burning  unev^enly  or  the  feed- 
ing mechanism  failing.  The  slightest  disarrangement  of 
the  light  causes  the  beam  to  be  directed  upward  or  per- 
haps downward  and  the  distance  it  carries  greatly  reduced. 
The  oil  lamp  is  far  steadier,  gives  a  volume  of  light  at 
which  it  is  impossible  to  look,  and  moreover,  is  thoroughly 
reliable.  The  wicks  used  are  circular  and  in  first-order 
lights  are  six  in  number,  placed  one  inside  another,  and 
the  flame  produces  great  heat.  Under  certain  conditions 
a  new  glass  chimney  must  be  put  on  about  every  fifteen 
minutes,  before  the  old  one  melts  and  runs  away.  Oil 
vapor  lamps  and  acetylene  gas,  of  both  high  pressure  and 
the  local  generator  systems,  have  been  used  as  illuminants 
with  very  favorable  results,  the  chief  advantage  of  the 
former  being  in  a  remarkable  saving  in  oil;  the  gas, 
however,  showing  but  slight  economy  in  cost  of  operation 
over  the  old  oil  burner,  and  requiring  almost  constant 
watching.  That  the  lights  never  "  go  out  "  even  by  acci- 
dent, is  due  very  largely  to  the  watchful  fidelity  of  the 
keepers.  The  cage  is  operated  by  a  somewhat  complicated 
mechanism  beneath  the  standard  upon  which  it  rests. 

These  great  lighthouses,  many  of  which  are  monuments 
to  the  triumph  of  monolithic  building,  were  erected  only 
by  the  boldest  engineering  feats,  the  expenditure  of  much 
money,  and  even  the  sacrifice  of  life.  As  an  instance  of 
this  the  Spectacle  Reef  presented  engineering  problems, 
the  solution  of  which  was  almost  breathlessly  watched 
by  the  ablest  engineers  of  the  world.  This  hidden  rock 
lies  in  the  northern  part  of  Lake  Huron,  not  far  from 
the  entrance  to  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  and,  being  ten 
miles  directly  cast  from  the  nearest  land,  Bois  Blanc  Is- 
land, it  is  in  the  direct  course  of  vessels  bound  through 


FOR   THE   FREEDOM    OF   THE   SEA     315 

the  straits,  and  near  the  course  to  the  St.  Mary's  River 
and  Lake  Superior.  Because  of  its  pitifully  unprotected 
position  with  a  sweep  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles 
of  open  sea,  it  was  not  believed  that  any  mass  of  stone 
that  man  might  raise  would  withstand  the  fury  of  the 
Winter  gales  and  the  terrible  push  of  grinding,  crunch- 
ing ice. 

But  the  engineer  who  planned  it  well  knew  the  dangers 
and  difficulties;  the  ice  and  waves  were  guarded  against 
and  he  built  with  a  cunning  hand.  He  laid  the  masonry 
courses  one  on  the  other  and  fitted  them  so  closely  and 
dove-tailed  each  to  each,  and  finally  bolted  all  together 
so  strongly  and  securely,  that  a  minimum  calculation  de- 
termined the  mass  to  be  even  stronger  than  a  shaft  of 
solid  stone.  By  causing  the  ice  to  be  broken  on  an  outer 
stone  structure,  it  grounds  in  seven  feet  of  water  which 
covers  the  reef,  and  thus  protects  the  shaft  from  the  force 
of  the  ice  fields.  This  great  triumph  of  engineering  skill 
was  completed  in  1873,  and  General  O.  M.  Poe,  who  was 
chief  engineer  to  General  Sherman  in  his  march  to  the 
sea,  and  whose  works  throughout  the  lake  region  will, 
for  generations,  bear  witness  to  his  ability,  was  its  designer 
and  builder. 

When  the  keepers  returned  to  the  lighthouse  in  the 
Spring  of  1874  they  found  a  mass  of  ice  forty  feet  high 
piled  around  it,  and  had  to  cut  their  way  with  axes  through 
ten  feet  of  it  to  reach  the  door  of  the  structure.  Spec- 
tacle Reef  Light  still  stands  and  its  piercing  beam  of 
light,  visible  for  more  than  twenty  miles  in  every  direction, 
saves  hundreds  of  lives  and  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of 
property  every  year.  Stanard's  Rock  Light  in  Lake 
Superior,  near  the  course  between  Marquette  and 
Keweenaw  Point,  and  thirty  miles  distant,  is  another  well 
known  beacon  of  great  protection  to  mariners.  Racine 
Reef  on  the  western  coast  of  Lake  Michigan  is  one  of  the 
danger  points  of  that  troublous  body  of  water. 

Scarcely  less  spectacular,  and  of  almost  equal  value  to 


3i6  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

the  lake  mariner,  are  the  stanch  lightships  rolling  and 
tossing  in  the  fresh-water  swells.  They  supplement 
the  lighthouses,  but  are  few  in  number  as  they  are  placed 
only  in  much-travelled  waters  where  by  reason  of  shift- 
ing sands  or  uncertain  ledge,  a  shaft  of  stone  cannot  be 
built.  Bar  Point  Lightship  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
River  is  probably  the  best  known  to  travellers  between  the 
East  and  Middle  West  by  the  water  route.  It  marks 
the  treacherous  shoals  of  these  shallow  waters,  and  is 
one  of  fifty  fixed  or  floating  gas  buoys  within  a  distance 
of  about  twelve  miles.  Point  Pelee  Lightship,  off  that 
dangerous  projecting  cape,  is  also  a  prominent  beacon 
of  the  Lake  Erie  waters. 

Whistling  and  bell  buoys,  those  mournful  sentinels  of 
the  sea  which  mark  dangerous  places  to  be  avoided  in  fogs 
or  mists,  together  with  fog  horns,  Daboll  trumpets,  and 
steam  sirens,  are  other  important  adjuncts  of  the  light- 
house service. 

To  maintain  all  these  aids  to  a  free  navigation  of  the 
lakes,  —  to  keep  them  painted  and  in  repair,  and  to  supply 
light  stations  with  rations,  coal,  oil,  and  apparatus,  — 
three  steam  tenders  with  full  crews  of  machinists  and 
other  artisans  are  kept  in  service  for  nine  months  of  the 
year.  The  work  of  replacing  the  big  iron  buoys  with  a 
heavy  sea  running  is  a  ticklish  job,  for  to  lower  the  new 
one  over  the  side  of  the  tender,  and  to  hoist  the  other, 
which  is  nothing  less  than  a  huge  iron  pendulum,  and  to 
drop  it  safely  on  the  deck  is  a  matter  of  good  judgment 
and  strong  nerves.  To  make  a  landing  at  the  isolated 
lights  out  in  the  open  lake  during  a  storm,  no  matter  how 
pressing  the  need  may  be,  is  impossible,  and  the  little 
tender  must  wait  in  a  convenient  harbor  for  the  weather  to 
abate.  Five  other  tenders  are  in  service  for  the  inspectors 
of  the  lighthouse  districts. 

Although  the  lighthouse  service  by  its  highly  eflScient 
force  robs  the  rocky  coasts  and  yawning  breakers  of  many 
victims,    It  cannot  prevent   every   impending   disaster   to 


FOR   THE    FREEDOM    OF   THE    SEA     317 

the  lake  marine.  Its  purpose  and  aim  is  to  guide  and 
warn  and  beyond  that  it  cannot  go.  From  the  very  na- 
ture of  the  sea  and  the  perils  of  navigation,  many  a  stout 
ship  has  been  lost  by  disablement  or  disarrangement  of 
its  mechanical  being.  A  steering  gear  may  go  wrong  at 
a  critical  moment,  a  shaft  may  snap,  or  a  steam  pipe 
fracture,  throwing  the  vessel  Into  the  trough  of  the  sea 
and  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  Or  the  seams  of  a  rotting 
hull  may  open,  the  plate  rivets  of  a  steel  ship  may  shear, 
giving  rise  to  frightful  leaks  which,  beyond  the  capacity 
of  the  pumps  or  the  efforts  of  the  crew  to  save,  cause  the 
vessel  to  founder  or  to  be  driven  on  an  inviting  shore. 
In  such  catastrophes  imperilling  life  and  treasure,  and  in 
shipwreck,  which  are  quite  without  the  scope  and  power 
of  the  light-keepers  and  their  men,  another  Government 
service  comes  in  as  a  saving  grace. 

The  United  States  life-saving  service  on  the  lakes  com- 
prises fifty-nine  stations  fully  equipped  for  any  emergency 
and  with  a  complement  of  about  five  hundred  and  sixteen 
men.  It  is  of  comparatively  recent  founding,  the  first 
rescue  of  a  shipwrecked  crew  by  an  organized  band  of 
paid  heroes  having  been  effected  only  a  little  more  than 
thirty  years  ago.  The  development  of  the  service  to  its 
present  footing  has  been  largely  due  to  the  public  interest 
and  demand  for  more  effective  means  of  succoring  the  dis- 
tressed mariners,  an  interest  which  Is  always  whetted  by  a 
disaster  attended  with  loss  of  life.  The  more  or  less 
liberal  appropriations  of  Congress  from  time  to  time,  and 
the  creation  and  guidance  of  the  institution  by  Sumner  I. 
Kimball,  Its  first  and  present  general  superintendent,  have 
produced  the  most  eflUcient  life-saving  service  in  the  world. 
It  Is  to-day  the  product  of  many  men's  minds  and  the 
courage  of  many  stout  hearts,  the  surfmen  behind  the 
oars  and  the  breeches-buoy,  and  the  patrol. 

The  life-saving  stations  on  the  lakes  are  for  the  most 
part  located  within  or  near  the  harbors  of  the  principal 
ports,  or  on  dangerous  capes  and  shores  which  form  the 


3i8  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

natural  graveyards  of  the  old-time  marine.  In  some 
places  the  stations  are  only  a  few  miles  apart,  in  others 
a  longer  stretch  of  a  day's  walk  along  the  hard-packed 
sands  separates  them,  and  in  still  others  forty  to  one 
hundred  miles  may  intervene. 

Coming  up  the  lakes  from  the  head  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence River,  one  will  find  four  stations  along  the  southern 
shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  six  on  Lake  Erie,  ten  along  the 
western  shore  of  Lake  Huron,  and  eight  on  the  storm- 
tossed  shores  of  Lake  Superior.  Lake  Michigan,  which 
is  the  only  one  of  the  five  fresh-water  lakes  wholly  within 
the  boundary  of  the  United  States  with  its  long  coast  line 
of  quite  eight  hundred  miles,  and  whose  waters  are  of 
tempestuous  character,  requires  no  less  than  thirty-one 
stations  to  provide  adequate  protection  to  life.  The 
State  of  Michigan  faces  on  four  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and 
its  shore  line,  which  is  much  longer  than  that  of  the  other 
seven  States  combined,  is  protected  by  thirty-four  stations. 
Only  two  other  States  face  on  more  than  one  of  the  lakes, 
namely:  New  York  on  Lake  Ontario  and  Lake  Erie, 
and  Wisconsin  on  Lake  Superior  and  Lake  Michigan, 
the  former  having  five  stations,  and  the  other  nine.  Ohio 
has  four  stations,  Illinois  four,  and  Pennsylvania,  Indiana, 
and  Minnesota  one  each. 

The  station  buildings,  which  are  located  near  the  beach 
in  favorable  places  for  a  quick  get-away  to  a  wreck,  are 
plain  but  substantial  structures;  and  the  quarters  of  the 
crew  are  comfortable  and  often  homelike.  There  is  not 
lacking  here  and  there  a  touch  of  the  feminine,  for,  al- 
though this  quality  is  entirely  foreign  to  the  rough  and 
hardy  but  big-hearted  surfmen,  there  is  the  family  life 
of  the  little  settlement  of  white  and  green  cottages  back 
among  the  trees  of  the  upper  beach.  In  locations  where 
the  soil  is  something  better  than  sandy  wastes,  kitchen 
gardens,  planted  and  cultivated  by  the  men  in  hours  of 
leisure,  go  far  toward  supplying  the  larders  in  Summer 
and  Winter.     Out  of  the  meagre  pay  of  sixty-five  dollars 


FOR   THE    FREEDOM    OF   THE    SEA     319 

a  month,  for  but  eight  months  of  the  year,  the  surfmen 
must  provide  their  hving,  and  there  is  no  provision  for 
disablement  or  pension.  The  keepers  of  the  stations  are 
paid  nine  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  twelve  months' 
service. 

The  life  of  the  surfman  is  not  one  of  ease  and  enjoy- 
ment of  a  quiet  and  domestic  existence,  as  may  appear 
to  the  casual  view  of  the  visitor  to  the  station,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  one  of  strenuous  duty  and  hardship  and  is 
very  likely  to  be  monotonous  and  colorless.  The  daily 
routine  provides  for  practice  drill  and  exercise  in  the 
various  methods  employed  in  rendering  aid  to  the  ship- 
wrecked, for  keeping  the  buildings  and  apparatus  in  re- 
pair, and  the  grounds  in  perfect  order.  And  a  constant 
watch  for  distress  signals  is  maintained  from  the  ob- 
servatory on  top  of  the  station.  It  is  at  night  that  their 
duties  become  severe  and  very  often  perilous.  During 
that  time,  which  is  divided  into  three  watches,  they  pa- 
trol the  beach  for  miles  in  both  directions,  and  keep  a 
vigilant  lookout  for  signs  of  wreck,  such  as  a  hatch  grat- 
ing, a  blind,  a  bucket,  or  some  other  light  article  washed 
ashore.  Or  it  may  be  the  glimmer  of  a  light,  or  a  faint 
flare  of  a  distant  rocket  that  tells  them  of  disaster. 

In  such  an  emergency  the  Coston  light,  which  is  always 
carried  by  the  surfman,  is  set  off.  It  is  a  piece  of  fire- 
works which,  ignited  by  a  sharp  blow  on  the  end  of  the 
handle,  produces  an  inextinguishable  flare  of  dozens  of 
roman  candles  in  one  concentrated  display.  This  signal 
continues  for  nearly  ten  minutes,  the  illumination  is  seen 
for  miles,  and  serves  the  double  purpose  of  telling  the  ship- 
wrecked that  succor  is  at  hand,  and  of  warning  a  passenger 
steamer  or  freighter  of  a  near  approach  to  the  dangerous 
shore.  With  only  the  rays  of  his  lantern  and  the  roaring 
surf  as  guides,  the  surfman  races  back  to  the  station  to 
set  the  machinery  of  rescue  in  motion.  If  his  fellows 
have  seen  the  flaring  signal  they  are  waiting  eagerly  and 
impatiently  for  his  report  of  the  exact  location  and  con- 


320  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

ditions  of  the  sea  running,  and  are  ready  with  any  ap- 
paratus which  is  demanded  for  a  rush  to  the  scene.  In 
any  event  they  are  on  their  feet  instantly,  keen  and 
anxious,  with  the  spirit  of  rescue  —  the  dominant  trait 
of  the  life-savers  from  the  sea. 

The  equipment  of  the  stations  embraces  every  appliance 
which  the  genius  of  man  has  produced  for  the  saving  of 
the  shipwrecked,  and  it  is  always  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency. If  the  wreck  is  in  shoal  water  with  but  a  moderate 
sea  running,  the  surf  boat,  which  is  perhaps  the  most  im- 
portant article  of  the  outfit,  is  run  out  on  its  carriage  and 
hauled  by  main  force  through  the  soft,  yielding  sands. 
Upon  arrival  at  a  point  opposite  the  wreck,  the  boat  is 
launched  through  the  surf  and  the  struggle  toward  the 
doomed  vessel  is  begun.  If  all  goes  well  it  is  reached 
and  the  women  and  children  taken  off;  and  upon  ground- 
ing in  shallow  water,  they  are  carried,  or,  if  the  surf  is 
too  strong,  they  are  dragged,  to  dry  land.  The  sailors 
on  the  wreck  are  then  brought  ashore  in  the  same  way, 
and,  if  the  location  is  isolated,  the  unfortunates  are  hur- 
ried to  the  station  where  dry  clothing  and  nourishing  food 
Is  furnished  them. 

In  the  event  of  a  high  sea  running.  In  which  the  light 
surf-boat  would  be  as  cork  In  a  tempest,  the  self-righting 
and  self-bailing  lifeboat  Is  used  instead.  This  boat  Is 
thirty-four  feet  in  length  with  a  heavy  gun-metal  keel 
and  large  air  tanks,  which  cause  It  to  right  at  once  upon 
capsizing,  and  to  bail  itself  by  an  ingenious  arrangement 
of  valves.  It  is  fitted  with  a  twenty  horse-power  gasoline 
engine  and  two  short  masts  with  jury  sails.  The  latter 
power  may  be  struck  and  quickly  stowed  when  not  needed. 
Having  ample  power  the  boat  is  generally  launched  at 
the  station  and  covers  the  distance  to  the  wreck,  even 
though  it  be  of  several  miles.  In  a  short  time.  The  chief 
advantage  in  the  use  of  the  power  boat,  aside  from  the 
saving  of  time  In  getting  to  a  wreck.  Is  In  having  the 
life-savers  fresh  and  strong  for  whatever  of  exhausting 


FOR   THE    FREEDOM    OF   THE    SEA     321 

labor  may  be  demanded  of  them  when  the  vessel's  side  is 
reached.  Their  strength  is  not  sapped,  as  formerly,  be- 
fore the  real  object  of  their  efforts  is  attained. 

When  the  fierce  Winter  gales  sweep  the  lakes  and  lash 
their  troubled  waters  into  the  quick,  choppy  seas  peculiar 
to  them,  no  small  boat  can  live  an  instant  in  the  raging 
surf,  and  even  the  stanch  and  usually  safe  boats  of  the 
life-savers  are  useless.  It  is  then  that  the  famous  breeches- 
buoy  comes  into  use,  or,  if  a  large  number  of  shipwrecked 
persons  are  to  be  landed  and  the  time  is  short  before  the 
vessel  goes  to  pieces,  the  life-car  serves  the  same  purpose. 
The  breeches-buoy  is  not  a  new  appliance,  as  it  was  first 
used  a  hundred  years  ago,  but  improvements  have  been 
made  at  times  so  that  now,  with  its  electrical  attachments, 
it  is  more  than  ever  indispensable  to  the  life-saving  service. 
By  the  latter  means  alone  the  efficiency  of  the  buoy  has 
been  increased  fully  one  hundred  per  cent,  and  the  new 
buoys  are  now  in  general  use  at  the  lake  stations. 

The  breeches-buoy  is  mounted  on  a  carriage  and,  like 
the  surf-boat,  is  hauled  by  manual  strength  to  the  scene  of 
the  wreck.  It  is  somewhat  lighter  than  the  boat  outfit, 
but  is,  nevertheless,  a  hard  pull,  the  dead  weight  to  each 
man  being  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  and  the 
pathway  of  the  beach  being  fine,  drifting  sand.  The  ap- 
paratus consists  of  a  long,  stout  hawser  on  a  reel,  a  block 
with  the  buoy  and  breeches  to  run  along  the  hawser,  a 
whip  line  to  haul  it  back  and  forth,  and  a  Lyle  gun  or 
mortar  for  firing  the  shot  line  out  and  over  the  wreck. 
There  are  also  a  tail-block,  two  tally  boards  which  give 
directions  as  to  use  by  the  sailors,  and  tools  for  making 
a  secure  anchorage  on  the  beach  for  the  end  of  the 
hawser. 

When  exactly  opposite  the  wreck  the  crew  goes  into 
action  and  so  perfect  is  the  system  and  so  thorough  the 
training  that  there  is  no  confusion  and  no  orders  of  more 
than  direction  are  given.  Every  man  of  the  crew  has  a 
number  and  a  position  entailing  specific  duties  for  this 


322  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

occasion  as  well  as  all  others.  These  duties  he  learns 
to  perform  with  skill  and  accuracy  and  he  does  them 
expeditiously.  The  outfit  is  laid  out  quickly  on  the  beach, 
each  article  having  a  definite  place,  and  the  operations 
go  on  like  clockwork.  The  firing  of  the  mortar  with  its 
shot  carrying  a  line  to  the  wreck  is  spectacular,  and  if  it 
has  been  well  aimed  with  due  allowance  for  the  wind 
deflection,  it  passes  over  the  wreck  and  the  line  settles  in 
the  rigging.  This  is  eagerly  secured  by  the  sailors  who 
at  once  haul  in  the  whip  (an  endless  line)  attached  to 
the  other  end.  Attached  to  the  whip  is  the  tail-block  and 
tally  board  with  further  instructions.  Hauling  in  the 
whip  brings  one  end  of  the  hawser  which  is  secured  to 
a  mast  as  far  up  as  possible,  and  with  the  tail-block  made 
fast  about  three  feet  below  it,  all  is  ready  for  the  buoy. 

The  improved  breeches-buoy  with  its  electrical  attach- 
ments is  the  invention  of  John  W.  Dalton,  who  has  so 
perfected  the  device  that,  with  the  hawser  once  made  fast 
to  a  wreck,  every  person  on  board  can  be  saved.  The 
buoy  itself  is  much  safer  than  the  old  model,  it  is  easier 
for  the  shipwrecked  to  adjust  themselves,  and  is  more 
comfortable.  Instead  of  four  ropes,  which  support  the 
rubber  cushion,  joining  at  a  point  just  beneath  the  block, 
their  ends  are  fastened  to  the  corners  of  a  square,  steel 
spreader,  and  this  in  turn  is  secured  to  the  ring  of  the 
block.  The  advantage  of  this  arrangement  is  in  pro- 
viding a  space  well  above  the  head  of  the  passenger  for 
the  storage  battery  and  the  lights,  which  makes  the  opera- 
tion of  the  buoy  from  the  shore  much  more  positive  and 
rapid. 

The  shore  end  of  the  hawser,  first  having  been  drawn 
taut  and  made  fast  to  the  sand  anchor,  is  further  tightened 
by  raising  it  about  twelve  feet  above  the  beach  by  means 
of  a  wooden  crotch,  which  constitutes  a  temporary  pier, 
while  the  wreck  itself  serves  as  the  other.  Everything 
being  now  ready  the  men  haul  in  the  reverse  end  of  the 
whip  line,  which  operation  causes  the  buoy  to  be  drawn 


FOR   THE    FREEDOM    OF   THE   SEA    323 

to  the  wreck.  It  shows  a  green  light  seaward  and  a  white 
light  toward  the  shore,  while  another  light,  a  white  one, 
illuminates  the  cushion  and  the  breeches,  thus  enabling  the 
shipwrecked  persons  to  get  in  quickly  and  adjust  them- 
selves as  comfortably  as  possible.  When  the  buoy  is  occu- 
pied the  white  light  toward  the  shore  automatically  turns 
to  a  bright  red,  and  a  rocket  is  discharged,  which  Is  the 
signal  to  the  shore  for  the  rescuers  to  haul  away.  An 
air  cushion,  placed  just  above  the  passenger's  head,  pre- 
vents him  from  being  injured  by  the  traveller  block 
banging  about  while  being  dragged  through  the  surf. 
It  also  prevents  a  like  injury  to  the  passenger  upon  enter- 
ing the  buoy  by  the  jerking  motion  of  the  vessel,  lurching 
back  and  forth  in  the  heavy  sea. 

Before  the  improved  breeches-buoy  came  Into  general 
use  it  was  impossible  for  the  crew  on  shore  to  know  defi- 
nitely the  location  of  the  buoy,  or  when  the  occupant  was 
ready  to  be  hauled  away,  in  case  it  reached  the  doomed 
vessel  at  all.  Much  valuable  time  was  thus  lost  In  need- 
less hauling  of  the  buoy  back  and  forth  in  order  to  have 
it  finally  reach  the  wreck,  and,  if  the  lines  became  tangled, 
no  one  could  tell  where  the  trouble  lay.  With  the  new 
buoy,  no  matter  how  far  away  the  wreck  may  be  or  how 
dark  the  night,  the  exact  location  of  the  buoy  is  known  at 
all  times,  and  the  signals  automatically  given  are  positive 
and  unmistakable.  Dalton,  who  conceived  the  idea  while 
witnessing  a  shipwreck  on  Cape  Cod,  in  which  all  the 
crew  were  lost,  spent  the  better  part  of  two  years  in  per- 
fecting the  buoy  and  bringing  it  to  its  present  efficiency. 
It  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Examiners  of  Life-Saving 
Appliances,  appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
upon  its  first  demonstration  in  1906,  and  its  use  has  been 
rapidly  extended  throughout  the  world. 

In  cases  where  a  large  number  of  shipwrecked  persons 
must  be  taken  ashore,  or  women  and  children  to  whom  the 
buoy  is  hardly  suitable,  the  life-car  Is  used.  It  is  a  cov- 
ered boat  which  is  attached  to  the  traveller  block  and 


3l4  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

hauled  back  and  forth  between  the  wreck  and  the  shore 
in  the  same  way  as  is  the  buoy.  Being  water-tight, 
aged  people  and  invalids  have  been  landed  through  the 
heavy  surf,  entirely  dry  and  without  serious  discomfort. 
Silks,  fine  fabrics,  jewelry,  other  valuable  goods,  and  even 
gold  bullion  belonging  to  the  Government,  together  with 
the  mails,  have  been  taken  ashore  in  the  life-car. 

The  minor  equipment  of  the  surfmen  consists  of  life- 
belts, which  keep  them  afloat  when  capsized  in  the  foam- 
ing surf;  life-suits,  which  afford  a  complete  protection 
against  icy  waters  and  the  cold  of  Winter;  and  the  heavy 
oil-skins,  rubber  boots,  mitts,  and  caps.  Their  training  is 
not  confined  to  the  rescue  work,  for  at  times  in  the  exigen- 
cies of  shipwreck,  persons  reach  the  shore  senseless  and 
half-drowned.  It  is  then  that  the  surfmen  resort  to  the 
usual  methods  of  resuscitation,  of  ejecting  water  from  the 
body  and  restoring  respiration.  The  successful  outcome 
of  their  efforts  largely  depends  upon  their  knowledge  of 
such  work  and  intelligent  application  of  it,  the  carrying 
of  the  unfortunate  to  the  station,  and  subsequent  care 
and  attention  while  in  the  improvised  marine  hospital. 

The  number  of  casualties  along  the  lake  coasts,  in 
which  the  life-savers  render  timely  aid,  varies  but  little 
from  year  to  year,  one  season's  rescues  being  fairly  rep- 
resentative of  any  other.  In  a  recent  year  the  opportuni- 
ties offered  for  life-saving  numbered  three  hundred  and 
ninety,  of  which  the  Harbor  Beach  station,  on  Lake 
Huron,  had  thirteen,  the  Holland  station,  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan, twelve,  the  Frankfort  station,  on  the  same  coast, 
ten,  the  other  stations  ranging  from  nine  to  two.  Nine 
lives  were  lost  of  the  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-three 
persons  on  board  the  doomed  vessels  at  the  time  of  these 
rescues;  and  eighty-six  of  the  unfortunates  were  cared 
for  at  the  stations  until  they  recovered  sufficiently  from 
the  effects  of  their  harrowing  experiences,  to  go  to  their 
homes.  7'he  total  value  of  the  property  involved  was 
four  million,  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  thousand,  two 


FOR   THE   FREEDOM    OF   THE    SEA     325 

hundred  and  eighty-five  dollars,  and  the  property  loss 
was  only  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  thousand  and 
thirty-five  dollars. 

The  annals  of  the  Government  service  are  replete  with 
thrilling  accounts  of  sensational  and  heroic  rescues,  a  work 
which  cannot  be  recompensed  by  any  wage  the  men  may 
receive.  The  wreck  of  the  steamer  Argo,  In  the  Fall  of 
1906,  made  necessary  the  rescue  of  twenty-two  persons, 
which  was  effected  with  the  breeches-buoy.  The  rescue 
of  the  crew  of  the  schooner  Abbie,  off  the  harbor  of 
Manistee,  was  a  hazardous  undertaking.  Both  masts 
had  been  carried  away,  the  wreckage  lying  alongside, 
and  the  men  were  clinging  to  the  cabin  hatch,  —  the 
only  part  of  the  vessel  above  water.  The  frightful  sea 
running  and  dashing  over  the  wreck  added  to  the 
danger,  but,  after  repeated  attempts,  the  crew  was  taken 
off  and  landed  In  the  power  boat  at  the  lighthouse,  the 
life-saving  station  being  located  nine  miles  down  the  coast. 
The  rescue  of  a  party  of  merrymakers  in  a  launch  which 
had  been  run  down  by  a  large  steamer;  the  boarding  of 
a  water-logged  schooner  and  repairing  Its  pumps  to  aid 
the  crew  in  pumping  out  the  hull;  the  throwing  overboard 
of  a  portion  of  another  schooner's  cargo,  in  order  to 
lighten  her  to  effect  her  release  from  a  sandbar;  and  the 
reporting  of  missing  tows,  are  some  of  the  manifold 
services  rendered  by  these  valiant  guardians  of  the  coasts. 

The  United  States  Inspection  of  the  lake  marine,  es- 
pecially of  steam  vessels,  is  another  service  of  government 
function  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  policy  for  the  safety  of 
inland  navigation  and  the  protection  to  life.  As  many  as 
fifty  thousand  life-jackets,  or  life-preservers,  are  exam- 
ined and  subjected  to  severe  tests,  every  year.  The  ma- 
terial, stitching,  weight,  and  the  straps  to  secure  them 
about  one's  body,  come  in  for  the  closest  scrutiny.  Noth- 
ing is  overlooked;  if  up  to  requirements  each  one  Is 
stamped  by  the  inspector  and  the  date  likewise  recorded 
on  It;   if  it  is  found  wanting  in  any  respect  it  is  thrown 


;^26  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

out  and  cannot  be  used.  If  the  good  ones  were  laid  down 
side  by  side  they  would  reach  for  over  forty  miles.  Fire 
hose  is  another  article  of  safety  equipment  and,  if  coupled 
up  in  a  continuous  line,  would  measure  nearly  five  and 
one-half  miles.  The  engines  and  boilers  of  all  steamers 
are  subject  to  overhauling  by  the  rigid  inspection  of  the 
government  officials,  for  no  defect  is  passed.  Every  part 
of  its  mechanical  equipment  must  be  up  to  the  required 
standard,  if  the  vessel  is  to  be  commissioned  for  another 
season's  run. 

It  is  all  these  safeguards  surrounding  the  lake  marine 
and  the  protections  to  life  afforded,  which  make  for  the 
"  freedom  of  the  seas."  Without  them  it  would  hardly 
be  possible  for  the  vast  fleet  of  express  steamers  to  carry 
sixteen  million  passengers  in  nine  months  without  the 
loss  of  a  single  life.  It  may  truthfully  be  said  that  no 
travel  in  America  during  the  first  decade  of  the  twentieth 
century  has  been  so  safe  and  free  of  casualty  as  that  along 
the  great  highway  of  the  Inland  Seas. 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

WRECKING   AND    FIRE   TUGS,    THE    NAVY   TRAINING 
SHIPS,   AND   THE    MAIL    BOAT 

Dangers  and  Difficulties  of  Wrecking  Ships  —  The  New  Wrecker 
Favorite  —  Methods  of  Raising  and  Salvage  of  Wrecks  —  Fortunes 
THUS  Made  —  Wrecking  Concerns  on  Lakes  —  The  Fire  Tugs  — 
Saviours  of  the  Water  Fronts  of  Lake  Cities  —  The  Latest  Boat, 
THE  Graeme  Stewart  —  List  of  Fire  Tugs  on  Lakes  —  The  Object 
and  Scope  of  Naval  Militia  —  Its  History  — Vessels  Composing 
Fleet  —  The  Little  White  Mail  Boat  on  Detroit  River,  the  only 
One  in  the  Department  —  Its  Work  and  Service  to  Thousands  of 
Mariners  and  Vessel  Owners. 

EVEN  before  the  life-savers  have  completed  their 
work  of  rescue  and  are  caring  for  the  unfortunates, 
other  agencies  for  the  recovery  of  treasure  —  the  ship  it- 
self and  the  cargo  —  are  hurrying  with  all  speed  to  the 
scene  of  the  wreck.  They  are  the  salvors  with  stanch 
vessels  and  powerful  machinery,  summoned  by  wireless 
or  by  the  telephone  with  which  all  stations  are  equipped; 
and  almost  as  soon  as  the  gale  or  fog,  which  may  have 
caused  the  disaster,  has  abated  or  lifted,  these  wreckers 
are  on  hand  ready  for  the  laborious  work.  From  a 
monetary  standpoint  the  salvage  of  stranded  or  disabled 
vessels  and  the  recovery  of  their  cargoes  is  an  important 
business,  the  saving  of  property  in  1907  by  the  several 
wrecking  companies  on  the  lakes  amounting  to  $4,029,250, 
of  which  $3,315,160  was  the  value  of  the  vessels,  and 
$961,125  that  of  the  cargoes  involved,  while  the  loss 
sustained  was  only  $247,035. 

The  engineering  problems  incident  to  the  wrecking  of 
ships  require  more  splendid  daring,  more  instant  decision, 
and  more  resourceful  ingenuity  than  any  other  service 


328  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

upon  the  high  seas.  It  Is  daring  in  sending  divers  down 
Into  battered  hulls  to  locate  and  patch  the  frightful 
wounds,  or  In  creeping  among  jagged  rocks,  along  the 
soft,  slimy  mud,  or  clinging  quicksands  of  the  sea's  bot- 
tom, to  delve  Into  the  mysteries  to  be  found  there.  It 
requires  quick  decision  as  to  wrecking  methods,  for,  should 
there  be  any  delay  In  beginning  operations  after  the 
survey  of  the  ship  has  been  made,  another  storm  may 
break  her  up  on  the  shifting  sands,  or  she  may  slip  off 
the  rocks  into  deep  water  and  prove  a  total  loss.  And 
then,  as  the  work  proceeds,  the  ingenuity  of  the  salvage 
engineer  Is  constantly  taxed  to  provide  ways  and  means 
to  bring  about  the  floating  of  the  vessel.  The  successful 
outcome  of  the  work  is,  after  all,  very  dependent  upon 
the  condition  of  the  weather,  which  Is  governed  largely 
by  the  seasons.  As  nearly  all  salvage  contracts  are 
drawn  up  on  the  basis  of  "  no  cure,  no  pay"  the  opera- 
tions are  much  of  the  nature  of  a  gamble,  and  the  engi- 
neer may  find  himself  after  much  hard  work  facing  a 
tremendous  loss,  or  reaping  a  fortune  as  the  reward  of 
his  skill  and  determination.  Each  wreck  presents  a  sepa- 
rate and  distinct  problem  and  he  must  quickly  classify 
his  task  and  bring  Into  use  the  special  appliances  adapted 
to  the  method  employed. 

The  necessary  equipment  for  the  salvors  Is  complicated 
and  costly.  It  comprises  as  motley  a  group  of  vessels  of 
different  types  as  can  be  found  In  any  waters.  First  of 
all  there  are  the  large  sea-going  tugs,  grim  and  powerful, 
and  able  to  plough  through  any  sea  and  to  stand  up 
under  the  enormous  weight  of  a  sodden  and  partly  floated 
hull  to  which  they  may  be  cabled.  They  are  of  great 
steaming  power,  with  engines  capable  of  sustained  towing, 
pumping,  and  lifting,  and,  with  a  carefully  selected  crew 
of  divers  and  expert  wreckers.  A  vessel  must  be  an  abso- 
lute structural  wreck  which  Is  not  saved  Intact,  and,  after 
repairs,  again  rendered  seaworthy.  With  the  wrecking 
tugs  there  are  the  spacious  floats  fitted  with  cranes  of 


Locking   down,  Poe  Lock,  St.   Mary's   River 


V 

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g^^m^^^ggs^^. 

■^  m, 

Detail  ok   Lock   Gates,  Weitzel  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River 


Steam   Barge  entering  Weitzel  Lock,  St.  Mary's  River  Canal 


The   Gki)  hound 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE    TUGS         329 

great  lifting  power,  lighters  to  take  off  the  vessel's  cargo 
when  it  is  necessary  to  remove  it,  and  barges  carrying 
timbers,  lumber  and  other  working  material. 

The  largest  and  most  thoroughly  equipped  wrecker  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  or  in  fact  upon  any  American  waters,  is 
the  steamer  Favorite  of  the  Great  Lakes  Towing  Com- 
pany's fleet.  She  measures  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
feet  in  length,  forty-three  feet  beam,  and  nineteen  and 
one-half  feet  depth,  and,  in  addition  to  a  bunker  capacity 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  tons  of  coal,  has  a  water 
ballast  of  six  hundred  tons.  The  steamer  was  completed 
early  in  1907  by  the  Buffalo  Drydock  Company,  at  a  cost 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  That  she  is 
practically  unsinkable,  even  with  the  dead  weight  of 
massive  and  heavy  machinery  and  appliances,  is  assured 
by  the  four  water-tight  bulkheads  of  steel  which  divide 
the  hull  into  five  compartments;  and  there  Is  also  an  air 
line  encircling  the  ship  with  connections  at  each  deadlight. 
The  propelling  engines  are  of  twenty-five  hundred  horse- 
power, and  are  supplied  with  steam  at  one  hundred  and 
eighty  pounds  pressure  by  two  Scotch  boilers,  each  fiftee-i 
feet  In  diameter  by  eleven  and  one-half  feet  long.  The 
most  noticeable  feature  of  the  vessel  is  the  huge  "  A  " 
frame  or  derrick  with  Its  long  steel  boom  and  fitted  with 
heavy  blocks  and  wire  cables,  placed  just  forward  of  the 
twin  smoke  stacks.  Below  the  "  A  "  frame  Is  the  platform 
with  many  levers  and  controlling  devices  for  the  operator 
of  the  huge  crane  and  other  machinery.  This  Is  entirely 
open,  giving  an  unobstructed  view  at  any  angle,  but  unpro- 
tected from  the  weather.  As  much  of  the  work  for  the 
wrecker  comes  in  the  Fall  and  Winter  months,  the  comfort 
of  the  engineers  is  provided  by  canvas  stretched  around  the 
platform,  while  under  their  feet  are  warm  steam  coils. 

But  the  real  mysteries  of  the  vessel  lie  below  the  main 
deck  in  its  steel  structure,  for  there  are  to  be  found  every 
machine,  every  appliance,  and  every  tool  devised  by  man 
for  the  wrecking  of  ships;  and  they  are  of  the  latest  and 


330  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

most  powerful  type  known  to  the  mechanical  world. 
The  vessel  is  veritably  a  great  floating  machine  shop  and 
forge  with  all  the  sights  and  sounds  and  smells  of  the 
steel  ship  yard.  There  is  a  large  combination  punch, 
shears,  and  flanger,  operated  by  an  independent  engine; 
a  pipe  and  a  bolt  machine  which  turns  out  such  articles 
in  various  sizes  and  lengths  and  with  threads;  there  is 
a  drill  press,  a  shaper,  and  an  eight-foot  lathe,  emery 
grinder,  and  a  forge.  There  are  four  air  drills,  a  pneu- 
matic riveting  and  tripping  hammer,  and  bilge,  sanitary, 
and  fire  pumps  all  operating  independently.  Three  en- 
closed arc  lights  may  be  placed  at  advantageous  points 
on  or  above  the  wreck  to  aid  the  derrick  operator.  The 
entire  ship  is  brilliantly  lighted  by  electricity  furnished  by 
two  generators.  The  captain's  cabin,  dining-room,  and 
quarters  for  the  crew  are  spacious  and  comfortable,  and 
provided  with  all  modern  conveniences. 

In  the  wrecking  outfit  for  use  in  actual  operations  there 
are  many  appliances  that  seem  strangely  out  of  place  to 
those  unfamiliar  with  the  salvage  of  ships.  The  giant 
air  compressor  with  a  capacity  of  five  hundred  cubic  feet 
a  minute,  and  independent  condensers  of  smaller  capacity 
placed  fore  and  aft,  can  be  operated  separately  or  to- 
gether. The  Providence  towing  machine,  of  the  largest 
size,  and  made  especially  for  the  Favorite,  has  eighteen 
hundred  feet  of  towing  cable,  two  inches  in  diameter, 
and  was  imported  from  England.  It  is  placed  forward 
of  the  coal  bunkers  and  all  openings,  an  advantage  in 
wrecking  operations.  The  three-drum  hoisting  engine 
will  work  in  conjunction  with  the  clam-shell  bucket  or  the 
long  boom,  and  has  a  capacity  of  twenty-five  tons,  the 
"  grab  "  or  bucket  lifting  three  tons  of  ore,  coal,  or  grain 
at  one  operation.  There  are  twenty  steel  hutchocks  to 
use  with  the  jacks,  and  weighing  six  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  each;  thirty  one-hundred-ton  jacks;  ten  sixty-ton 
jacks,  all  hydraulic;  two  air  compressors  of  the  portable 
kind  to  put  on  board  the  small  boats  or  the  wreck,  and 


WRECKING   AND   FIRE   TUGS         331 

each  having  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  cubic 
feet  a  minute;  another  small  compressor;  five  wreck- 
ing pumps;  a  sawing  machine;  six  portable  boilers;  a 
twelve-inch  suction  pump;  and  a  fourteen-inch  rotary 
pump.  The  repair  material  carried  consists  of  fifty  thou- 
sand feet  of  lumber  conveniently  assorted  as  to  size,  a 
carload  of  steel  plate,  angles,  and  channels,  and  bolts, 
nuts,  rivets,  and  small  fittings  as  well  as  all  tools  needed 
by  a  machinist.  A  twenty  horse-power  motor  boat,  thirty- 
five  feet  long  by  five  feet  beam,  rounds  out  the  equip- 
ment. It  is  carried  aft  and  handled  by  a  boat  crane  which 
may  also  be  used  for  lifting  the  pistons  out  of  the  engine 
cylinders,  or  handling  machinery  or  material  of  any  nature 
for  the  machine  shop  just  beneath. 

Of  the  methods  employed  in  floating  sunken  vessels, 
the  cofferdam  principle,  when  the  wreck  is  submerged 
not  more  than  twenty-five  feet,  is,  perhaps,  most  largely 
used,  and  is  nearly  always  successful.  It  consists  of 
building  upon  and  around  the  vessel  or  a  good  portion 
of  it,  a  water-tight  wall  of  wood  sheet-piling,  strongly 
braced  and  calked  at  the  joints  to  withstand  any  pressure 
of  water.  When  the  holes  in  the  vessel's  hull  have  been 
patched,  the  water  is  pumped  out  and  the  wreck  rises 
to  the  surface.  It  may  then  be  towed  to  a  drydock  for 
repairs.  The  compressed  air  method  is  sometimes  used 
when  the  damage  to  the  ship's  bottom  precludes  patching 
from  within  the  hull,  —  such  damage  as  may  happen  from 
rasping  and  cracking  of  the  plates  on  a  reef  or  rocky 
shore.  In  this  expedient,  when  the  cargo,  or  as  much  of  it 
as  possible,  has  been  removed,  the  hatches  and  other  open- 
ings are  securely  sealed  and  the  decks  are  strengthened 
by  crossbeams.  Compressed  air  is  then  forced  into  the 
hulk,  the  water  within  is  gradually  driven  out  through  the 
rents  in  the  bottom,  and  the  force  of  gravity,  which  holds 
the  mass  on  the  reef  or  in  the  mud,  is  overcome  by  the 
buoyancy  thus  obtained  by  the  confined  air.  On  the  cush- 
ion of  air  which  supports  it  the  vessel  may  be  taken  to  the 


332  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

nearest  drydock  for  rebuilding  and  general  overhauling. 
In  some  cases  the  damage  to  hulls  is  so  great  that  struct- 
ural weaknesses  develop  after  floating,  and  with  the  most 
thorough  temporary  repairs,  it  is  necessary  to  moor  large 
schooners  to  the  vessel's  side  by  chains  and  cables,  to 
keep  her  from  foundering.  It  is  then  a  slow  and  tedious 
towing  in  calm  weather  to  the  place  where  the  overhaul- 
ing is  to  be  done. 

When  these  methods  fail  to  bring  the  wreck  to  the 
surface  the  salvors  have  still  another,  the  pontoon  sys- 
tem, which  is  of  more  modern  application,  and  the  lack 
of  which  in  years  gone  caused  many  a  good,  though  per- 
haps damaged,  hulk  to  be  abandoned  as  not  salvable. 
With  the  pontoon,  which  has  made  the  wrecking  of  ships 
an  exact  science,  the  salvor  is  certain  of  ultimate  success. 
A  pontoon  is  nothing  but  a  big  air-tight  scow,  sixty  feet 
long,  twelve  feet  wide  and  deep,  having  a  well  eight  or 
ten  inches  in  diameter,  in  its  centre,  and  extending  through 
the  bottom.  Through  this  well  a  heavy  chain  or  cable  is 
drawn,  passed  under  the  hulk,  and  secured  in  the  same 
way  to  another  pontoon  on  the  other  side.  By  means  of 
a  valve,  water  is  admitted  to  the  pontoons,  which  may  be 
as  many  as  eight  or  ten  in  number,  they  settle  to  the  bot- 
tom, and  the  chains  or  cables  are  drawn  taut.  When  the 
water  has  been  pumped  out  of  the  pontoons,  the  tremen- 
dous lifting  power  of  the  submerged  air  chambers  causes 
them  to  rise,  bringing  the  vessel  with  them.  Sometimes 
it  is  necessary  to  use  the  lifting  cranes  to  keep  the  hull 
in  an  upright  position  while  rising  to  the  surface;  and 
when  it  is  up  there  is  much  work  to  be  done,  and  constant 
vigilance  on  the  part  of  the  wreckers  is  demanded.  The 
buoyancy  of  the  submerged  hull  may  be  utilized  by  pump- 
ing out  the  water  in  the  boilers  and  tanks,  permitting 
air  to  enter  in  its  place.  Huge  air-bags,  made  of  rubber, 
placed  in  the  hold  and  inflated  by  force  pumps,  displace 
a  volume  of  water  equal  to  their  cubical  contents  and 
provide  great  lifting  power. 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE   TUGS        333 

Vessels  which  are  stranded  high  on  a  sandy  shore 
often  present  wrecking  problems  of  a  most  perplexing 
nature;  and,  aside  from  the  usual  method  of  employing  a 
number  of  tugs  to  pull  on  stout  hawsers  attached  to  the 
endangered  vessel,  dredging  in  a  channel  from  the  ship 
to  deep  water  is  sometimes  necessary.  These  methods 
were  successful  in  floating  the  five-thousand-ton  freighters 
H.  W.  Smith  and  IVm.  Nottingham,  stranded  high  and 
dry  on  the  beach  at  Buffalo,  in  the  great  gale  of  February, 
1907.  Three  months'  time  was  required  for  the  opera- 
tions, the  channel  though  narrow  was  a  long  one,  and 
there  was  much  tugging  and  lifting  needed  to  bring  the 
vessels  into  their  natural  element.  Ships  driven  on  reefs 
or  rocky  shores  of  the  lakes,  especially  Lake  Superior, 
are  seldom.  If  ever,  saved,  because  they  are  soon  battered 
to  pieces,  and  long  before  the  salvors  can  reach  the  scene 
there  is  nothing  left  from  the  fury  of  the  elements  to 
mark  the  place  of  the  disaster.  The  Canadian  steamer 
Monarch,  on  her  last  trip  of  1906,  was  driven  on  the  bleak 
and  rocky  shore  of  Isle  Royal,  in  Lake  Superior,  and  soon 
after  broke  In  two,  the  aft  section  containing  the  ma- 
chinery sinking  In  deep  water,  the  other  section  being 
Impaled  on  the  rocks,  to  be  broken  up  by  the  next  gale 
which  swept  the  stormy  Inland  sea. 

The  Port  Huron  Wrecking  Company,  with  wrecker 
Charles  Diefenbach,  has  performed  many  successful  sal- 
vage jobs  along  the  lakes,  the  raising  of  the  coal-laden 
steamer  Linden,  sunk  on  June  23,  1905,  In  St.  Clair 
River,  being  one  of  the  most  difficult  operations  ever 
undertaken  In  those  waters.  It  Involved  the  use  of 
pontoons  and  later  of  cofferdams  and,  as  the  wreck  lay 
almost  crossways  of  the  channel,  the  swells  from  passing 
steamers  were  a  menace  and  handicap  to  the  work.  After 
eleven  hundred  tons  of  coal  had  been  removed  from 
the  hold,  the  vessel  was  gradually  lifted  by  the  pontoons 
and  moved  over  nearer  to  the  shore  In  shallow  water, 
.when,  with  the  final  efforts  of  the  crew  and  with  spouts 


334  OUR    INLAND   SEAS 

of  water  thrown  out  by  the  pumps  of  the  wrecking 
steamers  Mary  Groh  and  Myrtle  M.  Ross,  there  resulted 
the  floating  of  the  steamer. 

Captain  Baker  and  his  Detroit  crew  of  wreckers  are 
almost  as  well  known  on  the  coast  for  their  victories 
over  the  elements  of  the  ocean  as  on  the  lakes.  In  1906 
they  raised  the  steamer  Oceanica  with  a  cargo  of  twenty- 
three  hundred  tons  in  eleven  and  one-half  days.  Two 
years  later  they  recovered  one  thousand,  two  hundred  and 
eighty-four  tons  of  pig  iron  from  the  schooner  Kate  Whis- 
low,  sunk  in  eighty-four  feet  of  water  on  the  northern 
shore  of  Lake  Superior.  In  1901  the  steamer  JVUliam 
Home  was  lost  during  a  gale  in  ninety-six  feet  of  water  In 
the  northern  part  of  Lake  Michigan.  After  great  dangers 
and  hardships  the  eight  hundred  tons  of  pig  iron  were 
recovered  by  hoisting  buckets,  and  landed  on  the  docks 
at  Manistique.  The  steamer  Wm.  E.  Re'is  with  nine 
thousand  tons  of  iron  ore,  sunk  in  St.  Clair  River,  in 
nearly  sixty  feet  of  water,  was  salvaged  by  this  crew. 

The  Reid  Wrecking  Company,  operating  the  steamer 
James  H.  Reid,  and  the  Midland  Tow  and  Wrecking 
Company,  owning  the  wrecker  Reliance,  and  Captain 
John  Donnelly's  crew  of  divers  and  wreckers,  are  also 
known  from  one  end  of  the  lakes  to  the  other. 

Of  all  the  enlivening  scenes  along  the  lakes  and  par- 
ticularly the  water  fronts  of  the  large  cities,  none  is  more 
spectacular  than  the  powerful  fire  boats  rushing  at  full 
speed,  with  smoke  belching  and  water  foaming,  to  a  con- 
flagration. It  may  be  an  immense  elevator  or  warehouse 
on  the  docks,  or  a  manufacturing  plant  at  some  distance 
from  the  stream  or  harbor;  but  in  either  case  the  fire 
boats,  one  of  which  is  equal  in  fire-fighting  efficiency  to 
six  or  eight  of  the  best  steam  fire  engines,  are  rated  as 
valuable  protectors  for  any  city  to  possess.  If  at  night, 
there  is  something  impressively  appalling  in  the  raging 
of  the  fiery  tongues,  and  the  roar  and  snap  and  crackle, 
as  the  destructive  element  eats  its  ways  through  a  lofty 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE    TUGS         335 

structure  containing  millions  of  bushels  of  grain,  or  a 
big  plant  with  its  costly  machinery  or  finished  product. 
There  are  winding,  jagged  streaks  of  red  reflected  in 
lurid  gleams  on  the  water.  The  clouds  of  smoke,  the 
hissing  of  water  as  it  is  thrown  on  the  glowing  structure, 
the  crash  of  falling  walls,  and  the  last  dying  embers  — 
the  hot  cinders  —  are  a  mockery  of  man's  boasted  con- 
trol of  the  elements. 

But  more  often  the  fire  boats,  which  are  always 
steamed  up  and  ready  for  instant  service,  reach  the  scene 
of  an  incipient  blaze  before  it  has  had  time  to  spread 
into  a  spectacular  conflagration,  and  it  is  drowned  out  in  a 
few  minutes  by  tons  upon  tons  of  water.  These  fires 
frequently  occur  in  places  a)most  or  entirely  inaccessible 
to  the  land  side,  and  can  hardly  be  reached  by  streams 
from  fire  engines,  and  were  it  not  for  the  fire  fighters  on 
the  water  side,  great  loss  of  property  would  result.  And 
the  fire  boats  are  efllicient  helps  in  fires  in  the  business 
sections  of  the  cities,  sometimes  at  a  distance  from  the 
water  front. 

All  the  largest  cities  on  the  lakes  have  special  pipe 
lines  laid  through  the  commercial  streets  as  far  as  a  mile 
or  more  from  the  water  front.  These  are  provided  with 
the  usual  type  of  fire  plugs,  and  terminate  at  convenient 
points  on  the  wharves  along  the  water  side.  When  a  fire 
breaks  out  in  this  district  the  fire  boats  rush  to  the  pipe- 
line terminals  nearest  the  scene  of  the  fire,  connect  up 
their  hose,  and  pump  away,  forcing  great  volumes  of 
water  into  the  lines  to  supply  a  working  pressure  for  the 
fire  fighters.  This  is  a  performance  seldom  witnessed  by 
the  throngs  of  people  attracted  to  a  big  fire,  and  there  is 
no  glamour  about  it.  The  boats  are  simply  working, 
pounding,  and  pumping  away  to  supply  the  much  needed 
pressure  to  the  water  towers  and  hose  lines  at  points 
where  they  can  do  the  most  good.  It  Is  only  when  a  great 
fire  occurs  on  the  water  front,  drawing  crowds  of  spec- 
tators, that  the  almost  forgotten  fire  fighters  on  the  water 


336  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

are  noticed,  and,  at  such  times,  their  performance  is  the 
wonder  of  all. 

The  city  of  Chicago,  to  protect  its  extensive  lake  front 
and  miles  of  wharves  along  the  Chicago  River  and 
branches,  has  seven  fire  boats,  the  largest  and  most  pow- 
erful of  which  are  the  Graeme  Stewart  and  the  Joseph 
Medill,  completed  for  service  in  1909.  In  tonnage, 
pumping  capacity,  and  an  ingenious  coupling  up  of  elec- 
tricity and  steam  for  the  perfect  control  of  all  movements, 
they  are  in  advance  of  any  similar  vessels  in  American 
ports.  All  the  operations  of  such  a  vessel  about  the 
river  channels  or  in  open  harbor,  including  the  fire 
pumps  and  other  machmery,  are  controlled  from  the 
pilot  house  in  the  same  manner  as  a  motorman  controls 
an  electric  car.  Near  the  steering  wheel,  which  operates 
the  steam  gear,  is  a  controller  by  means  of  which  the 
captain  or  pilot  can  start  the  steam  turbines  and  by  elec- 
tric power  send  the  boat  ahead  or  astern,  at  low  or  high 
speed.  This  is  a  decided  advantage  in  manoeuvring  in 
the  narrow  stream  and  crowded  slips.  The  electric  drive 
enables  the  fire  boat  to  go  closer  to  a  fire  and,  when 
danger  from  falling  walls  is  imminent,  it  can  change  po- 
sition quickly  and  without  turning  about.  The  boats  are 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length  with  a  beam  of 
thirty-six  feet  and  a  draft  of  nine  feet. 

The  power  plant  consists  of  two  duplicate  plants  which 
are  so  arranged  that  they  can  be  operated  together  or 
singly.  Each  unit  comprises  a  steam  turbine  of  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty  horse-power,  on  the  shaft  of  which  are 
mounted  a  two  hundred  kilowatt  generator  and  cen- 
tral-drive rotary  pumps  of  four  thousand,  five  hundred 
gallons'  capacity  per  minute,  and  further  on  is  a  two 
hundred  and  fifty  horse-power  electric  motor  to  drive 
one  of  the  twin  screws.  The  energy  of  the  steam  tur- 
bines is  thus  applied  directly  to  the  pumps  or  converted 
into  electricity  to  propel  the  boat,  the  control  permitting 
of   quick    reversing,    stopping,    or   starting    ahead,    by    a 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE    TUGS        337 

like  device  to  and  with  the  ease  of  an  electrically  driven 
car. 

The  means  by  which  these  new  fire-fighting  machines 
are  anchored  solidly  anywhere  in  the  river,  to  avoid  los- 
ing an  advantageous  position  by  floating  about  or  being 
tied  up  to  a  dock,  is  as  revolutionary  and  interesting  as 
the  power  plant.  There  are  three  "  spuds  "  or  large, 
upright  shafts,  twenty-three  feet  long  by  eighteen  Inches 
in  diameter,  made  of  sheet  steel  and  reinforced  with 
angle-irons.  Each  one  is  operated  by  an  independent 
steam  engine  connected  by  gears  to  a  row  of  spur-teeth 
running  along  the  spud,  in  the  same  way  as  dredges 
are  securely  held  to  the  bottom  of  a  stream.  One  spud  is 
placed  at  each  side  of  the  pilot  house,  while  the  third 
runs  through  the  centre  line  of  the  boat  near  the  stern. 
They  may  be  lowered  or  raised  instantly  by  the  simple 
touch  of  a  lever. 

The  fire-fighting  battery  consists  of  two  great  "  water- 
guns,"  so  mounted  that  they  can  be  swung  in  any  direc- 
tion or  at  any  angle.  Their  standards  are  placed  on  a 
platform  just  over  the  pumps,  each  nozzle  with  a  two-inch 
opening,  taking  the  entire  volume  of  four  thousand,  five 
hundred  gallons  per  minute.  When  necessity  requires, 
the  two  rotary  pumps  may  be  connected  up  and  the  force 
of  nine  thousand  gallons  per  minute  concentrated  through 
one  nozzle  with  a  three  and  one-half  inch  opening.  The 
water  under  a  velocity  of  nearly  sixty  feet  per  second  is 
thrown  fully  five  hundred  feet,  or  more  than  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  upward  in  a  mighty  stream.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  equipment  there  are  sixteen  lines  of  hose. 
Not  all  of  these,  however,  are  used  at  one  time,  since 
the  more  lines  distributing  a  given  volume  of  water 
pumped,  the  less  pressure  and  effectiveness  is  obtained 
from  each  stream.  The  fire  crews  manning  these  boats 
are  on  duty  every  hour  of  the  day,  the  sixteen  men  being 
divided  into  shifts  or  watches,  so  that  at  an  instant's 
warning  they  and  their  boats  are  ready  for  any  call. 


Graeme  Stewart 

120 

Joseph  Medill 

1 20 

Illinois 

107 

Yosemite 

98 

Swenie  Dennis,  Jr. 

43 

Chicago 

81 

Fire  Queen 

63 

338  OUR    INLAND   SEAS 

The  fire-boat  service  of  the  largest  cities  on  the  lakes 
is  composed  of  the  following  steamers : 

Chicago        Graeme  Stewart            120  ft.  length,  36  ft.  beam,  built  in  1909 

"        36  "  "  "  "  1909 

"        24  "  "  "  "  1898 

23  "  "  "  "  1890 

ID  "  "  "  "  1886 

18  "  "  "  "  1882-1901 

16  "  "  "  "  1893 

Buffalo         fV.  S.  Gratton  106   "       "  '     24   "       "        "      "  1900 

John  M.  Hutchinson  "      "  "      "        "      "  1893 

George  R.  Potter  "       "  "       "        "      "  1887 

Cleveland    Essen  158   "      "       31    "       "        "      "  1892 

(Operated  by  Pickands,  Mather  &  Company) 
Detroit        James  Battle  116  ft.  length,  25  ft.  beam,  built  in  1900 

James  R.  Elliott  no   "       "        25    "       "        "      "  1902 

Milwaukee  Steamer  No.  is  106   "      "       32   "      "        "      "  1903 

Steamer  No.  17  100   "       "        24   "       "        "      "  1893 

Steamer  No.  23  100   "       "        24   "       "        "      "  1896 

In  addition  to  these  splendid  fire  fighters  with  their 
picked  crews,  every  important  port  on  the  lakes  has  one 
or  more  of  its  harbor  tugs  equipped  with  fire  pumps  and 
lines  of  hose  to  protect  and,  in  a  large  measure,  save  its 
valuable  property  along  the  water  front. 

The  navy  on  the  Great  Lakes  is  limited  to  the  training 
ships  of  the  naval  militia  of  several  of  the  lake  States, 
which  is  composed  of  brigades  in  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
Illinois,  Ohio,  and  New  York.  By  the  terms  of  the 
Rush-Bagot  Treaty  of  1817  with  England,  neither  nation 
can  maintain  more  than  one  armed  vessel  on  the  lakes  or 
connecting  waterways.  The  treaty  is  still  in  force,  but 
this  provision  has  been  given  a  liberal  interpretation,  as 
it  hangs  on  a  very  slender  thread  in  this  age  of  progress,  in 
the  granting  of  permission  by  the  London  Foreign  Office 
for  the  passage  of  a  number  of  United  States  gunboats 
of  the  obsolete  class  through  the  Canadian  canals  to  the 
lakes.     In  every  case  these  vessels  have  passed  through 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE   TUGS        339 

entirely  unarmed  and  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  use 
as  training  ships.  Upon  arriving  at  Buffalo  they  have 
again  been  armed  with  modern  guns  and  equipment  for 
the  thorough  training  of  the  naval  reserves,  and  have 
been  given  over  to  the  military  organization  of  the  several 
States. 

The  object  and  scope  of  the  naval  militia,  of  the  func- 
tions of  which  but  few  people  have  other  than  a  hazy  idea, 
are  to  furnish  the  navy  in  time  of  war  with  well-drilled  and 
seasoned  crews,  trained  in  navigation,  engineering,  gun- 
nery, and  signalling,  and  familiar  with  and  subject  to 
discipline  and  ship  routine.  This  of  itself  is  a  liberal 
education,  the  value  of  which  was  demonstrated  In  a 
practical  way  by  the  performance  of  the  cruiser  Yosemite 
in  the  Spanish  War,  which  was  manned  throughout  by  the 
Michigan  Naval  Reserve.  The  organization  has  the  same 
relation  to  the  navy  that  the  State  militia  has  to  the  regu- 
lar army,  but  it  is  of  even  greater  importance,  since  it  is 
impossible  to  recruit  trained  bluejackets  from  the  ordi- 
nary pursuits  of  life  in  time  of  need,  and  there  is  no 
time  to  break  in  raw  landsmen,  —  exacting  conditions  of 
training  which  do  not  so  intimately  affect  the  infantry 
service.  And  then,  the  future  wars  of  the  world  will 
undoubtedly  be  fought  largely  on  the  seas,  and  the  navy, 
with  its  great  fighting  ships  and  the  splendid  personnel  of 
the  crews,  will  be  the  country's  chief  defence. 

It  was  fitting  the  geographical  position  of  Michigan, 
surrounded  as  it  is  on  three  sides  by  the  waters  of  four 
of  the  great  Inland  Seas,  that  the  Naval  Reserve  of  the 
interior  should  have  been  founded  on  its  shores.  On 
February  28,  1894,  a  few  enthusiastic  yachtsmen  of  De- 
troit met  and  decided  upon  the  formation  of  the  Michi- 
gan Brigade.  Among  them  was  Truman  H.  Newberry, 
destined  in  after  years  to  hold  the  highest  office  in  the 
Navy  Department,  and  who  was  an  indefatigable  worker 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  Reserves.  The  first  division  was 
soon   recruited  to   eighty  members,  —  professional   and 


340  OUR    INLAND   SEAS 

business  men  with  the  inborn  sense  of  duty  of  the 
patriot,  who  were  eager  to  give  of  their  time  and 
their  best  endeavors  to  the  furtherance  of  the  movement. 
After  the  first  few  months  spent  in  perfecting  the  organ- 
ization, the  division  settled  down  to  actual  work,  the  first 
Summer's  drills  being  confined  to  infantry  tactics,  knot- 
ting and  splicing,  and  general  instruction  in  ship  routine. 
The  commanding  officer  of  the  division  was  Gilbert 
Wilkes  who  had  been  trained  at  Annapolis  and  had  seen 
service  in  the  navy.  On  October  i6  the  division  em- 
barked on  the  United  States  gunboat  Michigan,  which 
was  then  cruising  in  the  river,  and  spent  four  days  in 
various  drills,  the  handling  of  the  guns,  engines,  and  in 
navigation,  on  Lake  St.  Clair. 

From  this  beginning  the  movement  spread  so  that  In 
December  the  second  division  was  recruited  at  Saginaw, 
and  the  third  division  at  Detroit,  which  swelled  the  brig- 
ade to  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  enlisted 
men.  In  July,  1895,  the  three  divisions  mobilized  at 
Mackinac  Island  in  a  week  of  painstaking  drills  subject 
to  the  strictest  discipline  and  regulations  of  army  and 
navy  life.  The  old  fort  was  the  scene  of  renewed  activity 
—  the  regular  detachment  of  troops  having  been  with- 
drawn a  few  years  before  —  as  it  was  the  headquarters 
of  the  Reserves,  the  divisions  going  out  to  the  Michigan 
every  morning,  as  she  lay  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  for 
the  ship  drills  in  a  cruise  in  Lake  Michigan  or  Lake 
Huron.  In  1896  the  cruise  was  repeated  in  Lake  Huron 
and  Saginaw  Bay,  with  headquarters  at  Pointe  aux 
Barques;  and  the  following  year  Mackinac  Island  was 
again  the  rendezvous.  During  the  Winter  regular  drills 
were  held  in  the  armories,  and  instruction  and  practice 
given  in  all  the  minor  duties  of  the  sailorman.  During 
the  Spanish-American  War  the  Michigan  Reserves  saw 
actual  naval  warfare  on  the  cruiser  Yosemite  in  block- 
ade duty  off  the  coast  of  Puerto  Rico,  being  engaged  In 
several  bombardments  of  Spanish  forts. 


Entering  the  Locks,  Sault  Ste.  Marie 


w 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE   TUGS         341 

Of  late  years  the  naval  militia  has  grown  more  rapidly 
and,  in  1909,  there  were  two  battalions  of  six  divisions 
comprising  the  Michigan  Brigade,  with  an  enrolment 
of  nearly  four  hundred  officers  and  enlisted  men.  The 
fourth  division  of  the  first  battalion  is  located  at  Benton 
Harbor,  on  Lake  Michigan,  while  the  divisions  of  the 
second  battalion  are  located  at  Hancock  on  Lake  Su- 
perior, and  Escanaba  on  Lake  Michigan.  The  brigade 
is  under  the  command  of  Captain  F.  D.  Standish,  who  is 
one  of  the  two  charter  members  still  in  duty,  and  Chief 
Engineer  Mortimer  E.  Cooley,  of  the  University  of 
Michigan.  The  training  ships  manned  by  the  brigade 
are  the  Don  Juan  de  Austria,  of  eleven  hundred  and 
thirty  tons,  stationed  at  Detroit,  and  the  Yantic,  in  use 
by  the  second  battalion  and  stationed  at  Hancock.  The 
former  is  of  historic  interest,  being  one  of  the  Spanish 
ships  sunk  by  Admiral  Dewey  in  the  Battle  of  Manila 
Bay,  which  was  subsequently  raised  by  Captain  Hobson, 
repaired,  and  brought  to  America.  The  Yantic  is  one 
of  the  old  frigates  of  the  Civil  War  times,  having  been 
launched  at  Philadelphia,  on  August  12,  1864,  and  is 
one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  length,  thirty  feet  beam, 
and  with  brigantine  rig. 

The  Ohio  Naval  Brigade,  which  is  composed  of  di- 
visions at  Cleveland  and  Toledo,  have  as  training  ships 
—  entirely  manned  by  the  Reserves  —  the  Hawk,  sta- 
tioned at  Cleveland,  and  the  Essex,  at  Toledo.  The 
Illinois  Naval  Brigade  with  divisions  at  Chicago,  man 
the  Dorothea;  the  Wisconsin  Naval  Brigade  the  gunboat 
Nashville;  and  the  Minnesota  Naval  Brigade,  the 
Gopher,  stationed  at  Duluth.  The  ten  vessels  of  the  little 
fleet,  including  those  stationed  on  Lake  Ontario,  assemble 
for  the  annual  cruise  in  upper  Lake  Michigan  or  Lake 
Huron  waters,  In  July  or  August,  and  the  drills  are  con- 
ducted under  the  supervision  of  officers  of  the  navy,  act- 
ing as  a  sort  of  board  of  examiners,  who  criticise  and 
report  to  the  department  the  performance  of  the  vari- 


342 


OUR    INLAND    SEAS 


ous  crews.  The  cruise  extends  over  a  period  of  ten  days, 
and  is  intended  to  bring  the  work  of  the  Reserves  up  to  the 
government  standard.  There  are  fleet  manoeuvres  and 
daily  drills  with  the  small  boats,  signalling  practice,  sub- 
calibre  gun  practice,  scrubbing  decks,  cleaning  bright 
work,  and  fire  drills,  and  "  abandon  ship."  The  ma- 
chinery and  equipment  are  gone  over  and  the  general  effi- 
ciency of  the  Reserves  is  vastly  improved. 

There  is  a  three  fold  purpose  of  the  reserve  man  In 
giving  time  and  labor  to  the  cruises.  One  is  the  patriotic 
side,  fulfilling  a  sense  of  duty.  Then  there  is  the  physi- 
cal advantage  of  the  outdoor  life  and  practice  in 
handling  small  arms,  rapid-fire  guns,  and  small  boats, 
besides  learning  the  duties  of  the  "  Jackie,"  the  engineer, 
or  the  navigator.  There  is  also  the  fun  of  the  thing,  with 
the  sightseeing  offered,  and  anyway,  there  is  nothing  so 
attractive  to  the  healthy  man  as  the  fresh,  clear  waters  of 
the  lakes  and  a  brief  vacation  cruise  thereon. 

In  this  progressive  age  the  sailormen  of  the  lakes  are 
privileged  characters.  They  are  better  paid,  better  fed, 
and  more  comfortably  housed  than  any  seamen  in  the 
world.  In  strong  contrast  are  the  old  lumber  carriers, 
their  small  and  "dingy  forecastle,  dark,  dirty,  and  ill- 
ventilated,  and  the  modern  freighters  arranged  with  the 
quarters  of  the  crew  above  deck,  affording  plenty  of  air 
and  light,  and  with  the  use  of  the  bath  whenever  wanted. 
The  sailormen  never  touch  a  hand  to  a  bulk  cargo,  for 
the  ship  is  loaded  by  the  gravity  plan  and  the  cargo  is 
discharged  entirely  by  mechanical  unloaders.  Only  when 
a  portion  of  the  mass  of  ore,  coal,  or  grain  shifts  in  a 
gale  do  the  sailormen  go  below  to  shovel  it  back  in  place 
to  bring  the  vessel  to  a  level  keel.  Deckhands  even  in 
Summer  earn  as  much  as  the  second  mates  on  the  ocean, 
and  watchmen  often  receive  twice  as  much.  They  are 
paid  twenty-five  dollars  and  upward  a  month  and  feed, 
which  costs  not  less  than  thirty-five  cents  a  day;  and 
thirty-seven  dollars  and  a  half  after  October  first.     The 


I 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE    TUGS         343 

wheelmen  draw  forty-five  and  sixty-five  dollars  a  month 
and  feed  during  the  same  time.  Together  with  the  en- 
gineers and  firemen  they  are  an  independent  and  rather 
exacting  class  of  workers,  but,  from  the  very  nature  of 
their  duties  and  the  dangers  of  the  seafaring  life,  they 
are  entitled  to  all  privileges  they  enjoy. 

By  another  important  service  does  the  United  States 
Government,  through  the  Postoffice  Department,  extend 
to  the  seamen  and  vessel  owners  alike,  a  valuable  privi- 
lege and  aid  to  free  communication.  It  is  the  marine 
post  office  at  Detroit  —  a  branch  of  the  local  office  — 
which  delivers  to  and  receives  from,  passing  vessels  in 
the  river,  all  classes  of  mail  matter.  Although  Detroit 
is  a  very  busy  port  little  of  the  through  tonnage  stops 
there.  Time  means  money  to  the  big  freighters  and 
they  pass  by  the  city  at  full  speed,  getting  their  mail  and 
sending  It  out  "  on  the  fly."  Coming  down  the  lakes 
from  the  "  Soo  "  or  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  a  stretch  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  takes  from  thirty-six  to 
forty-eight  hours,  and  at  no  time  Is  the  freighter  In  com- 
munication with  land  until  the  marine  post  office  at  De- 
troit performs  the  carrier  service.  It  brings  to  the  seamen 
news  of  home,  the  world  at  large,  and  marine  circles, 
and  to  the  captain  the  government  weather  reports,  warn- 
ings of  approaching  storm,  special  instructions  from  the 
ship's  owners,  the  stage  of  water  at  the  Limekiln  Crossing 
In  the  lower  river,  and  maritime  exchanges. 

The  little  white  steamer,  with  Its  officers  and  carriers 
clad  In  the  gray  uniforms  of  the  service.  Is  a  unique  and 
interesting  feature  of  the  busy  river.  During  the  fiscal 
year  ending  June  30,  1909,  It  handled  in  the  eight  and 
one-half  months  of  navigation,  five  hundred  and  seventeen 
thousand  and  sixty-one  pieces  of  mail  matter,  or  an  average 
of  nearly  two  thousand,  two  hundred  pieces  every  twenty- 
four  hours,  the  service  being  maintained  both  night  and 
day.  On  the  balcony  of  the  little  station  at  the  foot  of 
First   Street,    a   gray-clad  figure   may  be   seen   at   times 


344  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

sweeping  both  stretches  of  the  river  with  a  field-glass, 
for  sight  of  the  steamers  for  which  he  has  mail.  When 
they  appear  around  the  bend  of  Belle  Isle,  or  from  the 
haze  of  the  lower  river,  he  hastens  aboard  the  little  white 
boat,  a  sharp  blast  of  its  whistle  brings  the  carriers  from 
within  the  station,  the  lines  are  cast  off,  and  she  steams 
out  across  the  American  channel  to  the  lane  of  the  big 
freighters  near  the  Canadian  shore.  In  the  small  clinker 
boat  towing  behind  is  the  carrier  making  ready  his  pack- 
ages for  the  vessels  which  the  marine  reporting  service  has 
given  out  as  due.  In  the  bow  and  stern  are  canvas-covered 
boxes  for  the  proper  arrangement  of  each  package.  At- 
tached to  the  bow  is  a  stout  line  about  eighty  feet  long 
coiled  ready  for  service. 

As  the  big  black  hull  of  the  freighter  comes  near,  the 
line  to  the  little  steamer  is  cast  off,  and  the  carrier  by  his 
oars  alone  brings  the  bobbing  craft  up  under  the  towering 
bow.  The  great  wave  of  water  borne  onward  by  the 
huge  mass  of  steel  almost  swamps  the  little  cockle-shell, 
but  it  is  skilfully  handled  and  comes  up  alongside  the 
freighter  and  close  to  it.  The  line  is  quickly  thrown  aloft 
and  inboard;  it  falls  on  the  vessel's  deck,  where  many 
willing  hands  are  awaiting  it,  and  it  is  seized  and  made 
fast.  In  an  instant  the  little  boat  is  jerked  clear  of  the 
water  as  the  slack  of  the  line  is  suddenly  taken  up,  by 
the  speeding  vessel,  but  the  carrier  is  ready  for  it  and  is 
hanging  on.  In  a  moment  a  bucket  is  lowered  with  the 
outgoing  mail,  the  carrier  empties  it  and  places  therein  the 
ship's  mail,  including  telegrams  and  special  reports. 
"Haul  away!"  and  "Let  go!"  are  the  shouted  com- 
mands to  the  figures  above.  In  a  second  the  little  boat 
is  adrift  to  be  taken  in  tow  again  by  the  little  white 
steamer,  which  has  raced  along  with  the  big  fellow.  The 
same  service  is  often  given  to  six  or  eight  vessels  in 
quick  succession,  passing  one  after  the  other  in  both 
directions,  and  so  close  together  that  fast  work  and  keen 
judgment  are  exercised  to  accomplish  it. 


WRECKING   AND    FIRE   TUGS        345 

One  long  blast,  one  short  blast,  followed  by  another 
long  blast  is  the  signal  meaning  "  We  have  letters  for 
you,"  whether  used  by  the  oncoming  vessel  or  the  little 
white  steamer.  As  there  are  more  than  four  thousand 
vessels  of  American  and  Canadian  register  trading  along 
the  chain  of  Great  Lakes,  making  more  than  one  hundred 
passages  a  day  through  the  Detroit  River,  it  is  scarcely 
to  be  wondered  at  that  the  marine  post  office  is  one  of  the 
busiest  branches  of  the  service.  It  is  the  only  one  of  its 
specific  duties  in  the  world.  The  combined  crews  of  the 
lake  marine  would  go  a  long  way  toward  making  a  large 
city,  and,  when  it  is  considered  that  the  population  of  the 
six  largest  cities  on  the  lakes  exceeds  four  million,  the 
value  of  this  service  is  clearly  evident.  It  is,  after  all, 
another  illustration  of  the  wonders  and  far-reaching  bene- 
fits of  our  wide-awake  postal  system. 


CHAPTER    XXV 

ECONOMICS   OF    LAKE   NAVIGATION 

Relation  of  Lakes  to  the  Prosperity  of  America  —  Volume  and  Impor- 
tance OF  Lake  Commerce  of  To-day  —  Rates,  how  Governed  —  The 
Great  Fleets  —  Dangers  of  Early  and  Late  Navigation  —  Profits 
—  Value  of  Lake  Shipments  —  Influence  of  St.  Mary's  River 
Canal  on  Expanded  Lake  Commerce  —  Its  Traffic — The  Govern- 
ment Works  of  Improvement  in  Eighty-five  Years  —  Important 
Factor  in  Continued  Prosperity  of  Lake  Shipping  and  Saving  to 
Millions  of  People. 

WHAT  the  Great  Lakes  have  done  and  are  doing 
for  America  is  momentous.  Few  people  realize 
the  important  part  the  great  Inland  Seas  play  in  the  com- 
mercial life  of  the  nation,  or  the  development  and  prog- 
ress that  is  told  by  the  enormous  growth  of  the  water- 
way traffic  since  the  eighties.  They  are  the  greatest  fac- 
tor in  the  continued  forcing  of  the  Northwestern  frontier 
toward  the  furthermost  limits  of  the  continent;  they 
have  made  the  eight  States  bordering  on  their  shores 
the  very  heart  of  the  nation;  and  they  exert  a  powerful 
influence  in  fixing  the  price  of  bread  to  populous  Europe. 
The  saving  in  water  transportation  of  wheat  in  the  long 
haul  from  the  "  granary  of  the  empire  "  to  the  seaboard 
Is  sufficient  of  itself  to  reduce  In  a  marked  degree  the 
price  of  bread  stuffs. 

By  the  very  cheapness  of  transportation  afforded  by 
more  than  two  thousand,  three  hundred  miles  of  Inland 
waterways,  the  prosperity  of  the  whole  American  people 
is  advanced  and  their  happiness  and  contentment  en- 
hanced. From  Louisiana  to  New  Brunswick  and  from 
the  far  northwest  of  Canada  to  the  South  Atlantic  sea- 


ECONOMICS   OF    LAKE    NAVIGATION    347 

board,  this  cheapness  of  transportation  afforded  by  the 
inland  waterways  has  an  influence  in  fixing  the  ultimate 
price  of  staple  food  products  and  of  numerous  commodi- 
ties of  every-day  use,  to  the  consumer,  is  coming  to  be 
recognized,  and  the  value  of  the  lakes  transportation 
routes  more  thoroughly  appreciated.  Furthermore,  travel 
on  the  lakes  highway  is  far  safer,  and  is  attended  with  less 
hazard  of  life  than  is  any  other  means  of  transportation 
in  America  to-day. 

During  the  last  twenty  years  the  navigation  of  the 
Great  Lakes  has  saved  to  the  people  of  America  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  one  billion  dollars.  As  stupendous  as  this 
may  seem,  the  actual  saving  in  the  year  1909  was  very 
nearly  one  hundred  millions,  which  was  considerably 
greater  than  any  previous  year.  The  commerce  of  the 
lakes  is  increasing  by  great  strides,  and  with  the  building 
of  many  more  six-hundred-foot  ore  ships,  giant  package 
freighters,  and  speedy  passenger  craft,  the  sum  total  of 
tonnage  and  the  freights  will,  in  another  decade,  reach 
figures  never  dreamed  of  by  the  early  mariners.  The  sav- 
ing as  stated  is  represented  by  the  difference  between  the 
rates  for  carrying  about  eighty-five  million  tons  of  vessel 
cargoes  yearly  by  the  water  highways,  and  the  freight 
which  would  be  collected  by  the  railroads  for  hauling  the 
same  commodities  overland  between  the  various  ports, 
did  the  lakes  not  exist. 

The  bulk  of  the  tonnage  on  the  lakes,  about  ninety  per 
cent  of  it,  consists  of  iron  ore,  coal,  grain,  and  flour,  and 
lumber  which  includes  other  products  of  the  forest.  Of 
these  the  ore  trade  is  the  mainspring  of  the  lake  carrying 
traffic.  It  originates  on  Lake  Superior  and  the  northern 
portion  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  moves  east  and  south  to 
the  ports  of  Lake  Erie,  and  to  South  Chicago  and  Gary, 
on  Lake  Michigan;  and  forms  in  the  aggregate  about 
one-half  of  the  total  tonnage.  Of  this  great  mountain 
of  metallic  rock,  containing  in  a  single  year  forty-two 
million  tons,  the  United  States  Steel  Corporation  used 


348  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

about  twenty-five  million  tons  or  more  than  three-fifths 
of  the  total  output.  The  greater  portion  of  this  was 
brought  from  the  Superior  ports  in  the  ships  of  the 
corporation,  the  Pittsburg  Steamship  Company  fleet,  which 
numbers  more  than  a  hundred  steamers  and  barges,  in- 
cluding some  of  the  largest  ore  carriers  and  bulk  cargo 
ships  in  the  world.  Many  of  the  independent  steel  com- 
panies also  own  their  ore-carrying  fleets,  but  all  of  them 
depend  more  or  less  upon  the  "  tramp  freighters  "  en- 
gaged In  this  trade  to  clean  up  their  ore  stocks  at  the 
northern  docks,  in  order  to  provide  an  ample  reserve  at 
the  furnaces  for  the  Winter's  run. 

The  coal  trade  ranks  second  in  tonnage  on  the  lakes 
and  reached  in  the  same  year  the  enormous  sum  total  of 
twenty-one  million,  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
tons.  Of  this  amount  four  million,  one  hundred  thousand 
tons  were  anthracite,  the  greater  portion  of  which  was 
shipped  to  Lake  Superior  ports  for  distribution  through- 
out the  Northwest.  As  the  coal  traflllc  Is  largely  westbound 
it  forms  a  convenient  return  cargo  for  the  independent 
ore  and  grain  ships,  and  the  rates  at  which  these  bulk 
cargoes  are  carried  are  far  removed  from  any  railroad 
competition.  The  shipments  of  bituminous  coal,  which 
aggregated  seventeen  million,  four  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  thousand  tons,  were  widely  scattered  among  the  lake 
ports,  the  product  being  chiefly  used  for  industrial  pur- 
poses. Two  million  tons  of  this  was  used  by  the  steamers 
and  tugs  of  the  lake  marine  during  the  navigation  season. 

Of  the  other  bulk  cargoes,  grain  forms  the  third  impor- 
tant commodity,  and  with  the  shipments  of  flour,  furnishes 
the  great  fleet  of  smaller  vessels,  such  as  the  wooden 
steamers  in  the  three  hundred  to  three  hundred  and  fifty 
foot  class,  with  profitable  business  throughout  the  season 
of  navigation.  For  It  Is  through  the  water  highways  of 
the  Great  Lakes  that  a  large  portion  of  the  grain  of  the 
world  Is  carried,  the  shipments  from  United  States  ports 
alone  aggregating  four  million  tons  or  nearly  one  hundred 


ECONOMICS   OF    LAKE    NAVIGATION    349 

and  sixty  million  bushels.  Of  this  tonnage  wheat  forms 
about  forty  per  cent,  corn  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  oats 
about  twelve  percent,  with  barley,  lye,  and  flaxseed  making 
up  the  remainder.  It  is  all  eastbound  trafl'ic  originating 
at  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  Duluth-Superior,  and  des- 
tined for  the  ports  of  Buffalo  and  Erie.  From  the  former 
point  it  reaches  the  seaboard  for  export  or  for  consump- 
tion by  the  populous  cities  of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  very 
largely  by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal  to  New  York,  or,  by 
way  of  the  Welland  Canal  and  the  St.  Lawrence  River, 
to  Montreal.  The  shipments  of  flour,  which  are  chiefly 
from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  to  Lake  Erie  ports,  ag- 
gregate one  million,  three  hundred  thousand  tons,  which 
is  equivalent  to  thirteen  million  barrels. 

The  grain  of  the  Canadian  Northwest,  the  bulk  of 
which  is  carried  in  ships  flying  the  British  flag,  amounted 
to  sixty-eight  million  bushels  of  which  fifty-three  million 
bushels  were  wheat.  Port  Arthur  and  Fort  William,  the 
Canadian  ports  of  Lake  Superior,  are  the  twin  grain- 
spouts  of  the  British  Northwest,  from  whence  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  stocks  is  hurried  to  the  seaboard  for  export, 
between  the  middle  of  September  and  the  closing  of  navi- 
gation in  December.  The  larger  grain  ships  make  the 
ports  of  Georgian  Bay  as  a  transfer  point,  but  the  others 
of  three  thousand  tons'  burden  or  less  and  carrying  about 
one  hundred  thousand  bushels,  cover  the  entire  route  to 
Montreal  by  the  Welland  and  the  St.  Lawrence  canals. 

The  lake  traflic  in  lumber  and  the  allied  products  of 
the  forest  is  still  of  sufiicient  volume  to  keep  a  large  fleet 
of  wooden  steam  barges  and  their  tows  busy  from  the 
opening  of  navigation  to  the  closing  of  the  northern  ports 
by  ice,  early  in  December.  The  lumber  districts  which 
now  supply  a  part  of  the  demand  of  the  Middle  West 
and  the  Eastern  States,  are  on  Georgian  Bay  in  On- 
tario and  along  the  northern  counties  of  Michigan  on  Lake 
Superior  and  Lake  Michigan.  At  the  principal  shipping 
ports  of  Duluth  and  Ashland,  the  old-time  barges  may  be 


350  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

seen  taking  on  deck  cargoes  of  pine  or  hardwood  lumber, 
shingles,  or  lath.  Clearing  from  port  they  steam  and  sail 
down  Lake  Superior,  through  the  canal  and  locks  at  the  St. 
Mary's  River  rapids,  and  south  through  Lake  Michigan 
to  Chicago  and  South  Chicago.  This  is  the  lumber  dis- 
tributing point  for  the  western  market  of  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  forest  products  of  the  Great  Lakes  region, 
although  the  port  of  Tonawanda,  on  the  Niagara  River, 
receives  and  distributes  much  lumber  for  the  eastern  mar- 
ket, and  the  western  coast  of  Michigan,  the  Saginaw 
Valley  and  Detroit  distributing  yards  are  still  factors  in 
this  trade.  The  water-borne  portion  of  this  business 
amounted  in  the  same  year  to  one  billion,  three  hundred 
and  eighty  million  feet  or  two  million,  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  tons.  The  stocks  are  generally  replenished 
from  the  Lake  Superior  mills,  or  by  the  imports  from  the 
Georgian  Bay  district  of  Canada.  Many  of  the  larger 
lumber  companies  own  and  operate  barges  for  their  ex- 
clusive use,  so  that  they  can  control  the  tonnage  and  reduce 
the  transportation  costs,  an  item  of  much  importance. 

Other  bulk  shipments  of  some  volume  and  importance 
are:  salt,  six  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  tons;  copper, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  tons;  and  stone, 
cement,  and  sand  for  building  purposes,  amounting  to  a 
million  tons  or  more.  There  is  left  the  unclassed  tonnage, 
including  what  is  known  as  package  freight,  and  this 
amounted  to  six  million,  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
tons.  It  was  carried  for  the  most  part  in  the  large  and 
fast  freighters  built  expressly  for  this  traffic,  and  which  are 
owned  and  operated  by  the  great  railway  systems.  Buf- 
falo, Chicago,  Milwaukee,  and  Duluth-Superior  are  the 
principal  shipping  and  receiving  ports  for  miscellaneous 
merchandise. 

The  total  domestic  receipts  by  the  fresh-water  routes 
in  1907  exceeded  eighty-three  million  tons,  of  which  fully 
seventy-one  per  cent  was  credited  to  twelve  ports.  The 
largest  tonnage  received,  nearly  eleven  million  tons,  was 


ECONOMICS    OF    LAKE    NAVIGATION    351 

at  Buffalo,  closely  followed  by  Chicago,  Cleveland,  and 
Duluth-Superior.  The  shipments  during  this  time  appear 
to  be  less  concentrated,  the  twelve  ports  in  question  ship- 
ping only  fifty-seven  per  cent  of  the  total  tonnage.  Be- 
cause of  the  large  ore  shipments  Duluth  is  far  in  the  lead 
of  the  domestic  lake  shipment  with  sixteen  million,  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  tons,  and  Superior  was  credited 
with  nine  million,  six  hundred  thousand  tons.  The  vessel 
movement  during  the  year  is  interesting  as  showing  total 
departures  of  seventy-three  thousand,  seven  hundred  and 
sixty-nine,  of  ninety-nine  million,  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
six  thousand,  four  hundred  and  nine  net  tons.  The  effect 
of  building  much  larger  freighters  for  both  the  ore  and 
package  freight  trade  is  shown  effectively  in  the  average 
size  of  all  vessels  plying  on  the  lakes,  for  in  that  year 
it  was  one  thousand,  two  hundred  and  seventy-one,  as  com- 
pared with  one  thousand,  one  hundred  tons  in  1905,  and 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-five  tons  in  1902. 

According  to  Andrew  Carnegie  the  northern  portion  of 
Ohio  is  the  natural  industrial  centre  of  the  world  for  the 
iron  and  steel  industries,  for,  at  no  other  spot  can  the  iron 
ore,  and  coal  which  is  necessary  for  its  reduction,  be  as- 
sembled so  cheaply  as  on  the  southern  shores  of  Lake 
Erie.  The  earth  is  tapped  a  thousand  miles  away  in  the 
north  country,  the  brown  metallic  substance  is  hauled  to 
the  ore  docks  by  the  iron  trail,  the  leviathans  of  the  lake 
marine  transport  it  to  the  furnaces  which,  meanwhile, 
have  been  charged  with  another  resource  of  the  earth, 
and  genii-like  enginery,  with  man's  hand  at  the  throttle, 
turns  out  the  finished  product.  This  may  be  the  reason 
why  the  various  tonnage  of  Cleveland,  with  its  manifold 
industries,  has  exceeded  that  of  Liv^erpool;  and  the  Cleve- 
land district  is,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  Clyde, 
the  largest  shipbuilding  point  in  the  world.  At  no  place 
in  England  or  America  can  vessels  be  constructed  so 
cheaply  as  in  the  great  shipyards  at  Lorain  and  Cleveland. 

The  freight  rates  governing  the  Great  Lakes  traffic 


3S^  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

are  a  variable  element  influencing  the  entire  commerce  of 
the  nation;  and  may  be  said  to  be  determined  solely  by 
the  law  of  supply  and  demand.  For,  when  the  quantity 
of  a  given  commodity  to  be  transported  greatly  exceeds 
the  active  tonnage  in  sight  to  carry  it,  the  rate  naturally 
goes  above  the  normal,  if  even  for  one  day;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  should  a  number  of  vessels  be  seeking  the 
same  cargo,  the  rate  at  which  it  is  carried  must  be  de- 
pressed. The  increase  in  vessel  capacity  and  the  con- 
sequent decrease  in  operating  costs,  and  the  reduced 
charges  and  saving  in  time  of  discharging  and  loading 
cargoes,  have  had  very  much  to  do  with  the  decline  in 
lalce  freights,  especially  within  the  last  ten  years.  Within 
this  period  the  ore  rate  has  fluctuated  from  one  dollar 
and  twenty-five  cents  per  ton,  from  Duluth  to  Lake  Erie 
ports,  to  fifty  cents  per  ton,  and  despite  the  wide  range  no 
interests  appear  to  have  suffered  severely. 

In  1 90 1  the  United  States  Steel  Corporation,  by  fix- 
ing the  rate  at  which  its  ore  was  brought  down  to  the 
furnaces,  namely,  eighty  cents  per  ton  of  two  thousand, 
two  hundred  and  forty  pounds,  established  the  rate  at 
which  all  other  carriers  performed  the  same  service.  It 
was  a  very  favorable  rate  at  the  time  and,  as  there  was  a 
large  production  at  the  mines,  many  vessel  owners  en- 
gaged in  other  trade  hastened  to  secure  ore  contracts  at 
the  prevailing  figure.  Of  this  the  vessel  owner  paid 
nineteen  cents  dockage  and  unloading  charges  at  the  lower 
lake  ports. 

The  effect  of  this  quite  general  rush  into  the  ore  trade, 
because  of  the  apparent  increase  in  the  profits  to  be 
derived  from  it,  was  all  very  well  for  the  steel  interests, 
but  the  equilibrium  of  the  lake  shipping  was  disturbed, 
and  to  re-establish  normal  conditions  the  shippers  of 
other  lines  had  to  raise  the  rates  quite  generally.  There 
were  more  ships,  too,  carrying  ore  than  the  ore  docks 
at  cither  end  of  the  route  could  accommodate  without 
more  or  less  delay,  and  from  this  loss  of  time  the  carrying 


Steel  ship  Major 


Mauch  Chunk,  largest   package   freighter  on   Great  Lakes 


The  Daniel  J.  Murrell   five  minutes  before  launch 


The  Juniata 


ECONOMICS   OF    LAKE   NAVIGATION    353 

capacity  of  all  the  vessels  so  engaged  was  reduced  at  least 
twenty  per  cent.  From  this  condition  of  uncertainty  there 
has  been  evolved  within  the  last  few  years  an  almost 
perfect  balance  of  trade,  which  is  of  great  benefit  to 
the  shipping  interests. 

Through  the  interdependence  of  rates,  which  is  care- 
fully studied  by  the  Lake  Carriers'  Association,  and  the 
application  of  the  principles  arising  therefrom,  the  possi- 
bility of  all  vessels  or  even  a  considerable  number  going 
over  from  one  trade  to  another,  following  an  advance  of 
rate  in  any,  is  very  remote.  Although  it  is  natural  that 
the  higher  rate  In  one  trade  should  entice  some  vessels  to 
it  which  previously  traded  in  others,  it  is  quite  generally 
recognized  that  the  balance  of  tonnage  and  shipments 
should  be  maintained,  and  the  shippers,  of  grain  and  coal 
especially,  are  under  the  necessity  of  increasing  the  rates 
on  those  commodities,  or  deprive  themselves  of  the  ves- 
sels needed  for  the  movement  of  their  material.  Of  the 
two  alternatives  the  former  is  now  generally  conceded  to 
be  the  one  calculated  more  easily  to  restore  the  equilib- 
rium of  stable  and  reasonable  rates  which  for  all  interests 
should  be  maintained.  The  established  rate  on  ore  is  now 
the  basis  on  which  all  other  rates  are  determined;  and 
from  simple  and  convenient  tables  the  ratio  of  one  bulk, 
cargo  to  that  of  ore  may  be  quickly  found.  So  fine,  indeed, 
has  the  transportation  problem  become  and  the  solution  so 
thoroughly  solved,  that  the  giant  ore  carriers,  with  their 
carrying  capacity  of  fifteen  thousand  net  tons,  and  equipped 
with  economical  engines  capable  of  greater  speed,  can  carry 
ore  on  the  long  hauls  at  sixty  cents  or  even  fifty  cents  per 
ton  and  earn  as  much  net  as  the  old  craft  earned  at  double 
the  rate.  The  loading  and  discharging  of  cargoes  Is  so 
expedited  by  present-day  mechanical  means,  and  all  other 
processes  so  perfected,  that  it  Is  now  possible  to  mine 
ore,  transport  it  to  the  furnaces,  smelt  it  and  convert  the 
pig  Iron  Into  steel  and  have  It  on  sale  in  Pittsburg,  in 
ten  days. 


354  OUR    INLAND    SEAS 

The  Great  Lakes  fleet  of  itself  is  greater  than  the 
fleet  of  any  foreign  nation,  excepting  Great  Britain  and 
Germany;  and  that  portion  of  it  engaged  in  the  passenger 
and  tourist  traffic  effects  many  economies  in  travel  and 
provides  in  addition  the  most  delightful  trips  imaginable. 
From  one  end  of  the  lakes  to  the  other,  there  is  the  same 
clear,  blue  water  of  crystal  purity,  continually  lapping  the 
sandy  shores  of  green  fields  or  woodland,  and  the  wonder 
cities  of  the  lakes,  with  their  varied  industries  and  busy 
water  fronts  reflecting  the  scenes  of  intense  commercial 
activity  within,  are  marvellous  things  as  viewed  by  east- 
erner and  foreigner  alike.  The  average  rate  for  pas- 
senger travel  is  about  one  and  a  quarter  cents  a  mile, 
which,  with  the  first-class  accommodations  of  rooms  and 
cuisine  of  the  splendid  steamers,  is  a  great  incentive  to 
forsake  the  hot,  dusty,  railway  trains,  and  enjoy  the  cool, 
bracing  air  of  the  lake  and  the  entrancing  scenery  of  the 
straits. 

The  largest  class  of  lake  steamers  of  both  the  steam- 
ship and  day  or  excursion  types,  which  are  designed  to 
accommodate  great  throngs  of  tourists  and  travellers 
by  fresh  water  at  rates  of  less  than  one  cent  per  mile, 
—  often  as  low  as  one-half  cent,  —  are  operated  only 
during  about  ten  to  fifteen  weeks  of  midsummer.  During 
that  time  they  are  generally  crowded  to  their  full  capac- 
ity, and  are  the  most  profitable  vessels  on  any  inland 
waters.  The  cost  of  running  them  is  great,  often  being 
from  five  hundred  to  eight  hundred  dollars  a  day,  and  it 
has  been  known  to  exceed  one  thousand  dollars.  This  is 
such  a  considerable  Item  in  the  economy  of  management 
that  when  the  travel  drops  off  in  early  September  they 
are  taken  off  and  laid  up  for  the  Winter. 

This  has  led  many  and  late  tourists,  who  have  not  seen 
the  lakes  and  waterways  at  the  height  of  the  busy  season 
of  July  and  August,  to  imagine  that  a  great  depression  of 
lake  commerce  and  passenger  travel  exists.  For  at  their 
wharfs  are  laid  up  in  winter  trim  the  largest  and  swiftest 


I 


ECONOMICS   OF    LAKE    NAVIGATION     ssb 

steamers  that  ply  any  inland  waters  of  the  globe.  They 
are  the  greyhounds  of  a  great  fleet  which  has  done  more 
to  bring  into  prominence  the  beautiful  lake  region  and  the 
vast  resources  of  the  Northwest,  than  any  other  empire 
builder.  One  single  trip  of  lean  patronage  for  these 
great  vessels,  either  in  early  Summer  or  after  the  tide  of 
tourist  travel  has  ebbed,  may  result  in  such  financial  loss 
as  several  profitable  trips  in  midsummer  hardly  offsets. 
It  is  by  long  experience  in  maritime  affairs  and  full 
knowledge  of  operating  costs  and  traffic  conditions,  that 
the  first  and  last  sailing  dates  of  any  steamer  are 
determined. 

The  smaller  steamers,  which  are  continued  in  service 
until  early  Winter  ice  closes  the  northern  harbors  and 
renders  navigation  even  in  Lake  Erie  dangerous  and 
unprofitable,  are  capable  of  taking  all  the  passenger  traf- 
fic and  merchandise  then  offered  for  transit.  And  these 
are  the  first  to  appear  in  the  early  Spring  to  open  up  the 
still  icy  ports,  and,  as  harbingers  of  another  busy  Sum- 
mer, inaugurate  a  service  as  the  traflfic  warrants.  Among 
the  lake  freighters,  however,  trade  conditions  and  the  ice 
and  weather  have  the  most  bearing  upon  the  opening  of 
navigation  and  the  closing  of  It  for  them.  The  Lake 
Superior  ports  are  Ice-bound  until  well  along  in  May,  and 
the  lower  end  of  Lake  Erie  Is  often  so  choked  with  the 
Ice  floes  which  have  come  down  from  the  upper  lakes,  that 
It  Is  Impossible  to  force  a  passage.  Sometimes  In  April 
the  largest  and  most  powerful  freighters  are  held  for 
a  week  or  more  at  Buffalo  waiting  for  a  favorable  shift 
of  wind,  or  breaking  up  of  the  Ice  fields.  When  they 
venture  out  to  buck  the  mass  of  Ice  hummocks  they 
more  often  become  wedged  in,  and  are  blown  about  as 
the  mass  is  driven  by  the  fierce  gales  which  sweep  the 
lake.  At  times  members  of  the  crew  walk  ashore  on 
the  Ice  to  summon  the  aid  of  tugs  or  other  Ice-crushing 
craft. 

It  is  the  early  and  late  business,  however,  which  is  the 


2s6  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

most  profitable,  and  despite  the  fourfold  risk  of  disaster 
in  the  terrific  gales  of  Winter,  and  with  marine  insurance 
cancelled,  there  are  not  wanting  a  few  adventurous  vessel 
owners  who  will  take  the  chance  of  rushing  the  last  of 
the  grain  and  coal  shipments.  The  incentive  is  great 
since  from  the  summer  rate,  which  fluctuates  between 
one  and  one-fourth  and  two  cents  per  bushel  from  Chi- 
cago or  Duluth  to  Buffalo,  there  is  a  jump  to  two  and 
one-half  to  three  cents  or  even  higher,  and  the  increased 
profit  thus  earned  may  be  a  good  share  of  the  net  profits 
for  the  season.  The  coal  rate  from  Lake  Erie  ports  to 
the  upper  lakes  during  the  Summer  varies  from  twenty-five 
to  fifty  cents  per  ton,  while  in  December  it  goes  to  seventy- 
five  cents  or  even  one  dollar. 

Under  such  conditions  a  six-hundred-foot  bulk  freighter 
coming  down  the  lakes  just  before  Christmas  with  a  full 
cargo  of  four  hundred  thousand  bushels  of  wheat,  will 
collect  a  freight  bill  of  about  twelve  thousand  dollars. 
When  once  docked  at  one  of  the  huge  elevators  in 
Buffalo  Creek,  the  grain  is  discharged  in  perhaps 
twelve  hours,  and  the  steamer  is  moved  to  a  coal  dock 
for  a  return  cargo.  Within  four  hours  thirteen  thousand 
tons  of  coal  have  been  chuted  into  her  cavernous  hold,  and 
in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  from  the  time  of  entering  the 
harbor,  she  is  again  ploughing  the  waves  of  Lake  Erie, 
bound  for  a  western  port.  By  the  close  of  the  year  she 
will  have  arrived  at  Chicago  or  Milwaukee  with  the  sum 
of  thirteen  thousand  dollars  added  to  her  credit,  or  a  total 
of  almost  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  freights  for  the 
round  trip,  and  earned  in  about  ten  days.  Even  at  the 
increased  water  rates  there  have  been  saved  to  the  people 
at  least  fifty  cents  a  ton  on  the  coal  and  about  two  cents  a 
bushel  on  the  wheat,  or  a  total  of  almost  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  two  cargoes,  over  the  freight  which 
would  have  been  exacted  by  the  railroads  for  the  same 
haulage. 

The  value  of  the  lake  shipments  in  a  single  year  now 


ECONOMICS    OF    LAKE    NAVIGATION    357 

reaches  a  billion  dollars,  and  cargoes  of  the  fresh-water 
vessels  often  reach  figures  almost  beyond  belief.  The 
copper  shipments  from  Lake  Superior  represent  the  great- 
est value;  and  one  of  the  twelve  thousand  ton  ships, 
Vvhich  cost  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  will  carry  a  cargo 
of  the  metal  valued,  at  an  average  price,  of  four  million, 
five  hundred  thousand  to  five  million,  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  A  full  cargo  of  wheat  will  be  valued  at  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  the  same  tonnage  of  coal  from  forty 
thousand  dollars  to  seventy  thousand  dollars,  and  iron 
ore,  which  represents  nearly  half  of  the  tonnage  of  the 
lakes,  only  about  thirty  thousand  to  forty  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  shipments  of  package  freight, — general  mer- 
chandise,—  when  carried  in  the  great  liners  to  their  full 
capacity  of  five  thousand  to  six  thousand  tons,  may  easily 
reach  values  considerably  beyond  a  million  dollars.  Silks 
and  woollen  fabrics  and  manufactured  goods,  teas,  canned 
goods,  fine  furniture,  and  silverware  are  well  calculated 
to  swell  the  value  of  a  ship's  manifest. 

One  of  the  main  factors  in  the  development  of  the  lake 
region  is  the  St.  Mary's  River  Canal,  with  its  locks  of 
enormous  size  and  capacity.  Its  influence  and  effect  upon 
the  maritime  growth  is  undoubted,  since  the  discovery  and 
utilization  of  the  vast  mineral  wealth  of  the  Lake  Superior 
country  was  brought  about  directly  by  its  means.  The 
development  of  the  iron  mines  furnished  an  ever  Increas- 
ing trade  for  the  great  steel  steamships,  and  also  the  raw 
material  for  their  construction,  while  the  greater  capacity 
and  speed  —  with  the  consequent  reduction  In  operating 
expenses  of  the  new  tonnage  —  lowered  the  freights,  which 
in  turn  still  further  developed  the  iron  Industry.  This  has 
had  very  much  to  do  with  the  reduction  in  the  price  of 
Bessemer  steel  within  the  last  fifteen  years,  and  has 
made  possible  Its  use  in  shipbuilding,  In  Improved  railroad 
equipment,  and  In  the  structural  forms  of  tall  city 
buildings. 

The  dependence  of  prices  of  steel  upon  the  water  route 


358  OUR   INLAND    SEAS 

and  that  In  turn  upon  the  St.  Mary's  River  Canal  is  ex- 
emplified in  the  price  of  iron  ore  laid  down  in  Cleveland. 
The  price  paid  by  the  Steel  Corporation  to  the  Great 
Northern,  in  1910,  for  the  ore  of  fifty-nine  per  cent  or 
better  of  iron  contents,  at  the  Superior  docks,  was  one 
dollar  and  seventy-five  cents,  two  mills  per  ton  of  two 
thousand,  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds.  At  a  lake  freight 
of  seventy  cents  per  ton  the  red  hematite  ore  of  Bessemer 
quality  costs  about  two  dollars  and  forty-five  cents  in 
Cleveland,  while  the  lowest  railroad  rate,  based  on  a 
per  ton-mile  which  would  show  a  profit,  from  the  mines 
to  the  Cleveland  docks  is  about  two  dollars  and  thirtj^- 
nine  cents  per  ton.  It  is  thus  evident  that  the  economies 
effected  through  improved  transportation  from  mine  to 
ore  docks,  the  quick  loading  Into  lake  freighters  of 
great  size,  and  the  transit  of  the  lake  route  at  a  speed 
of  ten  to  twelve  miles  an  hour,  together  with  a  dis- 
charge of  cargo  at  surprising  rapidity,  amounts  to  about 
two  dollars  per  ton  of  ore.  Through  these  economies  the 
production  of  pig  iron  in  the  United  States  has  trebled 
since  1896,  and  is  now  almost  one-half  of  the  world's 
outgo.  And  this  has  been  done  during  the  decline  of  the 
Pennsylvania  mines  and  the  transfer  of  the  manufacture 
of  pig  iron  and  steel  from  the  east  to  the  west  of  the 
Alleghenies. 

The  grain  and  flour  traffic  through  the  "  Soo  "  canal, 
although  of  far  less  tonnage,  is  of  equal  importance.  In 
point  of  value  and  its  effect  upon  the  prosperity  of  millions 
of  people,  to  that  of  iron  ore.  The  influence  of  the  canal 
in  developing  wheat  production  in  the  country  west  of 
Lake  Superior  Is  due  to  the  direct  route  it  affords  to  the 
seaboard  by  either  the  Erie  Canal  to  New  York,  or  the 
Welland  and  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal.  The  western 
wheat  and  flour  is  thus  able  to  compete  with  that  from  the 
country  near  the  eastern  markets,  which  would  not  be  the 
case  if  all-rail  rates  had  to  be  paid.  And  this  fact  has  lead 
to  the  building  and  extension  of  railroads  in  Dakota  and 


ECONOMICS   OF    LAKE    NAVIGATION    359 

Minnesota,  to  tap  other  wheat-growing  lands  with  a  con- 
sequent increase  of  production. 

In  the  lumber  traffic  of  the  lakes  the  canal  is  an  impor- 
tant link  in  the  chain  of  waterways,  and  will  always  con- 
tinue to  float  a  large  portion  of  the  consumption  of  the 
eastern  markets  and  that  of  Chicago.  There  is  yet  more 
timber  in  sight  about  the  lakes  than  is  generally  supposed, 
although  mostly  of  hemlock  and  hardwoods.  Great  quan- 
tities of  such  lumber  will  be  cut  in  the  region  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  notwithstanding  the  alarm  of  the  conserva- 
tionists, many  million  feet  of  forest  products  will  be 
carried  down  the  lakes  for  years  to  come.  Long  after 
the  old-time  barges  with  their  tows  have  passed  to 
marine  graveyards  in  the  shifting  sands  of  the  lakes'  beds, 
big  steel  ships  laden  with  lumber,  lath,  and  shingles  will 
lock  through  the  St.  Mary's  Canal,  destined  for  the  popu- 
lous cities  of  the  eastern  ports.  For,  when  the  last  of  the 
available  timber  has  been  cut  from  the  lake  country,  the 
lumber  of  the  Pacific  Coast  will  come  to  the  front,  as  it  is 
even  now  appearing.  It  will  be  hauled  overland  by  rail 
and  turned  over  to  the  cheaper  water  routes  at  Duluth  or 
Port  Arthur,  for  transit  down  the  lakes.  A  rate  fluctuat- 
ing from  two  dollars  to  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per 
thousand  feet,  board  measure,  is  low  enough  to  secure 
practically  all  the  through  business. 

The  total  tonnage  of  all  classes  of  freight  passing  the 
St.  Mary's  Canals,  in  1907,  was  fifty-eight  million,  two 
hundred  and  seventeen  thousand,  two  hundred  and  four- 
teen, of  which  forty-five  million,  five  hundred  and  forty- 
four  thousand,  three  hundred  and  nineteen  was  credited  to 
the  American  canal  and  locks,  and  twelve  million,  six 
hundred  and  seventy-two  thousand,  eight  hundred  and 
ninety-five  to  the  Canadian  canal.  The  total  water-borne 
commerce  of  Canada  in  that  year  aggregated  twenty  mil- 
lion, five  hundred  and  forty-three  thousand,  six  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  tons  —  nearly  double  that  of  any  previous 
year.     This  was  due  to  a  large  increase  in  vessel  ton- 


360  OUR   INLAND   SEAS 

nage  because  of  active  shipbuilding  In  Canada,  which 
now  promises  well  for  the  maritime  growth  of  the 
Dominion. 

What  the  United  States  Government  has  done  to  im- 
prove the  water  highways  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  encour- 
age shipbuilding  on  a  large  scale,  has  kept  pace  with  the 
demands  of  commerce;  and  Congress  is  not  slow  in  voting 
appropriations  when  it  is  shown  that  the  investments  will 
accrue  to  the  benefit  and  profit  of  the  people.  This  is 
true  even  though  the  improvement  recommended  is  of 
apparently  local  character,  for  it  is  held  that  a  real  advan- 
tage of  trade  to  a  portion  of  the  lake  country  cannot 
fail  of  being  a  benefit  to  the  nation  at  large.  But  this 
policy  wastes  none  of  the  public  funds  as  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that,  while  the  total  expenditure  on  the  lakes 
above  Niagara,  since  1823,  has  amounted  to  a  little  less 
than  one  hundred  million  dollars,  there  is  now  a  clear 
channel  at  normal  stage  of  water,  of  twenty-one  feet  from 
the  head  of  Lake  Superior  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Erie,  and 
the  present  plans  provide  for  an  increased  depth  to  twenty- 
five  feet  within  five  years.  These  projects  include  the  new 
locks  at  the  St.  Mary's  River  Canal  now  under  construc- 
tion, one  thousand,  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long, 
eighty  feet  wide,  with  twenty-five  feet  depth  of  water 
on  the  mitre  sills,  and  costing  four  million  dollars.  The 
new  locks  and  two  of  the  three  locks  now  in  use  at 
the  "  Soo,"  one  on  each  side  of  the  international  line,  are, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Panama  Canal  locks,  the  largest 
in  the  world.  The  total  expenditure  in  the  eight  districts 
exceeds  two  million  dollars  annually  of  which  more  than 
one-half  is  laid  out  on  the  improvement  of  the  Detroit 
River  at  the  Limekiln  Crossing  (the  "  Hell-Gate  of  the 
West"). 

The  great  returns  bestowed  on  the  American  people  by 
the  policy  of  the  Government,  in  its  expenditure  for  the 
improvement  of  river  and  harbor,  needs  no  better  illus- 
tration than  the  saving  of  one  billion  dollars  on  an  Invest- 


ECONOMICS   OF    LAKE   NAVIGATION    361 

ment  of  only  one  hundred  millions.  No  government 
expenditure  has  ever  been  made  that  has  yielded  such  divi- 
dends, and  still  greater  returns  are  yet  to  be  realized  from 
the  twenty-five-foot  channels.  The  waterways  are  the 
lines  of  least  resistance,  and  although  Nature  has  not 
always  provided  deep  channels  through  them,  their  eco- 
nomic possibilities  are  inestimable  when  all  obstructions 
have  been  removed. 


INDEX 


Abbie,  schooner,  wreck  of,  325 

Acadia,  propeller,  260 

Acadia,  steamer,  183 

Accommodation,  steamboat,  86,  87 

Adams,  brig,  71,  72 

Admiralty,  Lords  of  the,  test  Erics- 
son's screw  propeller,  127. 

Adventure,  brig,  65 

Adventure,  sloop  (1776),  71 

Agawa,  barge,  264 

Alarm  bell,  used  prior  to  steam  whistle, 
116 

Alaska,  steamer,  180,  223. 

Albany,  steamer,  121,  137,  179 

Alert,  steamer,  177 

Algoma  Central  and  Hudson's  Bay 
Railroad,  264 

Algoma,  steamer,  183 

Algomah,  steamer,  202 

Algonquin,  259 

Algonquin,  schooner,  136 

A.  L.  Hopkins,  steam  barge,  179 

Allen,  Capt.  W.  W.,  124 

Alliance,  ferry,  195 

Amasa  Stone,  steamer,  307 

American  Express  Company,  recovery 
of    its    safe    from    sunken    Atlantic, 

143,  144 
American  Fur  Company,  133,  134 
American  Shipbuilding  Conipany,  280 
American  vessel,  first,  on  Great  Lakes, 

(>7 
Anchor  Line,  179,  223,  263 
Angelica  (1771),  (45  tons),  64 
Angelica  (1771),  (64  tons),  71 
Angus,  Capt.,  135 
Ann  Arbor  No.  i.  No.  2,  No.  j,  No.  4, 

car  transports,  210,  212 
Ann   Arbor   Railway   transport   fleet, 

210-212 
Annie  L.  Craig,  steamer,  182 
Appomattox,  steamer,  307 
Arabasca,  69 
Arabia,  steamer,  180 


Arctic  No.  i,  steamer,  181 

Arctic  No.  2,  steamer,  182 

Argo,  steamboat,  no,  195 

Argo,  steamer,  wreck  of  (1906),  325 

Argo  No.  2,  ferry,  195 

Ariel,  schooner,  73 

"Army  and  Navy  Journal,"  quoted, 

173-175 
Arrow,  steamer,  121 
Arrow,  steamer  (on  Put-in-Bay  line), 

246 
Arrow,  steel  vessel,  182 
Arthur  Orr,  steamer,  259 
Arundel,  steamer,  180 
Ashland,  lumber  shipping  port,  349 
Ashtabula,  car  transport,  212-214 
Ashtabula,  Ohio,  213 
Asia,  steamer,  260,  261 
Astor,  John  Jacob,  133 
Astor,  see    John  Jacob   Astor,   sailing 

vessel 
Atlantic,  steamer,  142-144,  146,  182 
Auburn,  steamer,  224 
Auxiron,  Count  d',  experimenter  with 

steam  power,  76 
Averill,  Capt.  J.  M.,  135 
Axmouth,  first  vessel  from  lower  lakes 

launched  into  Lake  Superior,  133 

Back  Lake  system,  259 

Baker,  Capt.,  334 

Baltic,  steamer,  121,  149 

Baltimore,  steamer,  121,  136,  141,  287 

Bar  Point  Lightship,  316 

Barcelona,  steamer,  113 

Barclay,    Commodore,   of   British,   in 

battle  of  Lake  Erie,  73,  74 
Barge  built  by  La  Salle,  41,  43,  44 
Barge,  steam,  186-188,  192,  217,  218, 

221 
Barks  in  1846,  140  ;  in  1850,  146 
Barlow,  Joel,  fellow-experimenter  with 

Robert  Fulton,  82 
Bateau,  French  boat,  34 


3^4 


INDEX 


Battle  of  Lake  Erie,  see  Erie,  battle  of 

Bayfield,  Lieut.,  133 

Beaupre,  252 

Beaver,  sailing  vessel,  69 

Beaver,  sloop,  64 

Beaver  2nd  (1770),  64 

Beaver  Island,  Michigan,  169,  172 

Beebe,  Eliphalet,  69 

Bell  class  of  freighters,  303,  304 

Belle  Isle,  near  Detroit,  199,  234,  295 

Belleville,  251 

Ben  Franklin,  steamer,  121,  136,  141 

Benton  Harbor,  Lake  Michigan,  Naval 
Reserves  at,  341 

Benton,  steamer,  182 

Berthier,  steamer,  180,  252 

Bessemer,  305 

Bessemer  steel,  conditions  which  in- 
fluence price  of,  357,  358 

Bethlehem,  225 

Betsey,  sloop,  64 

Birch-bark  canoe,  27,  29-34,  4° 

Birkenbine,  John,  quoted,  23 

Black  Rock,  New  York,  90,  93,  98-102, 

173,  193 

Blake,  Capt.,  iii,  116 

Bohemian,  see  Prescott 

Bois  Blanc  Island,  199 

Bonding  plan,  freighters  built  under, 
308 

Booker  (or  Buchanan),  Col.,  174 

Boston  (1764),  64 

Boston,  propeller  (1879-80),  181 

Boston,  steamer,  121,  146 

Boston,  steamer  (1880),  224 

Boutell  Steel  Barge  Company's  fleet, 
222 

Brace,  Lester,  193 

Breeches-buoy,  321-323 

Breevort,  Capt.,  71 

Bridget,  schooner,  134 

Bridging  strait?  or  rivers  connecting 
Lakes  Huron  and  Erie,  203 

Brigantines,  185 

Brigs,  in  1836,  115;  in  1846,  140;  in 
1850,  145,  146;  traffic  in,  155;  full- 
rigged,  184 

Bristol,  Capt.  R.  R.,  115 

British  Northwestern  Company,  133 

Briton,  303 

Brittania,  steamer,  191 

Brittania,  steamer  (1907),  199 

Brockville,  251 

Brown,  Charles,  Clermont  built  in  ship- 
yard of,  84 

Brown,  Noah,  shipbuilder,  91,  100 


Brule,  Etlenne,  discoverer  of  Lake  Su- 
perior, 19 
Brunswick  (1767),  64 
Bryson,  Capt.,  175 
Buchanan  (or  Booker),  Col.,  174 
Buckeye  State,  steamboat,  146 
Buffalo  (1899),  224 
Buffalo,  British  ship,  71 
Buff'alo-Chicago    commerce    in    1850, 

Buff'alo  (city),  timber  land  on  site  of, 
91;  "Sandytown"  and  Indian  camp 
at,  91;  rivalry  between  Black  Rock 
and,  98-102;  deepening  of  channel 
at,  100,  loi;  port  of,  226,  228,  230, 
350>  351;  fire  boats  of,  338 

Buffalo  Drydock  Company,  329 

Buffalo,  steamer,  115 

Bunker  Hill,  steamer,  115 

Bunsen,  305 

Burtiss,  Capt.,  195 


Cabin,  upper,  first  use  of,  117 

Cadillac,  Antoine  de  la,  234 

Caldwell,  British  ship,  71 

Caledonia,  brig,  72 

Caledonia,  of  Perry's  fleet,  73 

Caledonia,  steamboat,  87 

Calhoun, ,   engineer   of    Walk-in' 

the-Water,  96,  99 

California,  propeller,  131 

California,  vessels  from  inland  ports 
to,  162 

Cambria,  303 

Cambria  Steel  Company  fleet,  308 

Camden,  British  vessel,  72 

Campbell,  W.  P.,  195 

Canada,  boundary  line  between  U.  S. 
and,  65;  early  trade  with,  67;  policy 
of,  in  regard  to  canals,  248;  com- 
merce of,  on  Lake  Ontario  and 
upper  St.  Lawrence,  249;  industrial 
progress  of,  typified  by  Canadian- 
built  steamers,  253;  maritime  laws 
of,  257;  traffic  through  canals  of, 
359;  total  water-borne  commerce  of, 
for  one  year,  359;  ship-building  in, 
360 

Canada-Atlantic  Transportation  Com- 
pany, 259 

Canada  Lake  and  Ocean  Navigation 
Company,  259 

Canada  {St.  Irenee),  steamer,  179 

Canadian  Navigation  Company,  251 

Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  229,  261 


INDEX 


3^S 


Canadian  Pacific  transport  fleet,  205, 

264 
Canadian  Shipbuilding  Company,  253 
Canadian  Southern  Railroad,  203,  204 
Canal  boats,  steel,  229,  230 
Canals  and  lake  traffic,  146,  147,  158, 

162,  226-229,  248,  357-359 
Cannon    shots    announce    arrival    and 

departure     before     use     of     steam 

whistle,  93,  94 
Car  ferries,  180,  192,  202-215,  295 
Car  ferry  No.  i,  No.  2,  car  transports, 

211,  212 
Car  of  Commerce,  steamboat,  87 
Car  of  Neptune,  steamboat,  86 
Carnegie,  Andrew,  351 
Carnegie  Company,  219 
Carolina,  steamer,  241 
Caroline,  steamer,  108,  115 
Carver,  early  traveller,  quoted,  64 
Cary  River  forge,  161 
Caryl,  Capt.  Benjamin,  99 
Cascades,  St  Lawrence  River,  255 
Caspian,  steamboat  (iron),  178 
Cataraqui,  fort  at,  21;  see  Frontenac, 

Fort. 
Catherine,  sloop,  see  Trippe,  sloop 
Catherine,  see  Salina,  schooner 
Cayuga,  steamer,  258 
Cedar  Point,  Sandusky  Bay,  245,  246 
Cedar  Rapids,  St.  Lawrence  River,  255 
Chambly,  steamer,  180,  252 
Champion,  steamer,  121 
Champlain  and  St.  Lawrence  Railway, 

194      .         . 

Champlain,   discoveries   of,    19;    map 
made  by,  20 ;  ranks  with  La  Salle, 

37  * 

Channel,  twenty-five-foot,  throughout 
Great   Lakes   and   waterways,  299, 
311,  360,  361 
"Charcoal  iron,"  167 
Charity  (1770),  64 
Charles  and  Ann,  schooner,  70 
Charles  Diefenbach,  wrecker,  333 
Charles  Townsend,  steamboat,  102,  113 
Charlotte  Dundas,  steam  towboat,  80 
Chautauqua,  steamer,  121 
Cheap  food  stuffs  due  to  lake  trans- 
portation, 151,  152,  346,  347 
Chesapeake,  steamer,  119 
Chicago-Buffalo  commerce  in  1850,  145 
Chicago  (city),  site  of,  21;  visited  by 
excursion  steamer  Michigan,  112;  de- 
scription of,  237;  in  early  days,  239; 
fruit-shipping  to,  242;  fire  boats  of, 


336,  338;  Naval  Reserves  at,  341; 
port  of,  350,  351 

Chicago,  fire  boat,  338 

Chicago,  propeller,  130 

Chicago,  steamer,  224 

Chicago,  steamer  (1874),  241 

Chicora,  steamer,  183,  258 

ChlcoutimI,  252 

Chicoutimi,  252 

Chief  Justice  Waite,  steamer,  182 

China,  steamer,  180 

Chippewa  (1770),  64 

Chippewa,  schooner,  136 

Chippewa,  schooner  (of  Perry's  fleet), 
72-74 

Chippewa,  steamboat,  107 

Chippewa,  steamer  (Niagara  Naviga- 
tion Co.),  258 

Chlvers,  Capt.,  198 

Christopher  Columbus,  whaleback  pas- 
senger steamer,  156,  221,  240,  241 

Cincinnati,  steamer,  121 

City  of  Alpena,  steamer,  (1893),  289, 
291 

City  of  Alpena  (City  of  Clevelatid,  1880), 
289 

City  of  Bangor,  306 

City  of  Benton  Harbor,  steamer,  242 

City  of  Buffalo,  schooner,  184 

City  of  Buffalo,  steamer,  118,  158 

City  of  Buffalo,  steamer  (1896),  291 

City  of  Chicago,  242 

City  of  Chicago,  schooner,  184 

City  of  Cleveland,  steamer  (1908),  279- 
286,  290,  292 

City  of  Cleveland,  steamer  (1886),  290 

City  of  Cleveland,  steamer  (1880),  289 

City  of  Cleveland,  steamer  (1852),  158, 
288 

City  of  Detroit,  steamer  (1889),  290 

City  of  Detroit,  steamer  (1878),  289- 
292 

City  of  Detroit  No.  2  {City  of  Detroit, 
1878),  291 

City  of  Erie,  steamer  (1898),  29 1 

City  of  Mackinac,  steamer,  289 

City  of  Mackinac,  steamer  (1893),  289, 
291 

City  of  Madison,  steamer,  183 

City  of  Milwaukee,  schooner,  184 

City  of  Racine,  241 

City  of  St.  Ignace,  steamer,  290,  291 

City  of  Sandusky,  see  Jay  Cooke 

City  of  the  Straits  {City  of  Detroit,  1878), 
steamer,  292 

"City  of  the  Straits"  {Detroit),  200,  234 


366 


INDEX 


City  of  Toledo,  steamer,  158 

City    of  Toledo,    steamer   (steel),  244, 

24s 

Civil  War,  hostilities  on  lakes  during, 
see  under  Great  Lakes 

C.  J.  Kershaw,  bark,  162 

Clarion,  steamer,  223,  224 

Clermont,  Fulton's  steamboat,  77,  84- 
86,  90,  92,  286,  310 

Cleveland  and  Buffalo  Transit  Com- 
pany, 291,  292 

Cleveland  (city),  arrival  of  Walk-in- 
the-Water  at,  94,  95 ;  port  of ,  23  3 ,  3  5 1 ; 
fire  boat  of,  338;  Naval  Reserves 
at,  341;  second  largest  shipbuilding 
centre,  351;  iron  trade  of,  358 

Cleveland-Cliffs  Company  fleet,  307 

Cleveland,  steamer,  115,  146,  158 

Cleveland  Steel  Canal  Boat  Company, 
229 

Clinton,  George,  advocate  of  Erie 
Canal,  103 

Coal  trade,  213,  219,  348,  356,  357 

Coal  used  by  lake  vessels,  348 

Coast  Line  of  Detroit  and  Cleveland 
Navigation  Company,  289,  291 

Coburn,  181 

Cochran,  Capt.  R.,  125 

Codorus,  steel  ship,  223 

Cofferdam  principle  employed  In  float- 
ing sunken  vessels,  331,  333 

"Coffins,"  188,  295 

Colbert,  French  Minister  of   Marine, 

21,38 
Colbert,  River,  21;  see  Mississippi  River 
Colden,  Cadvvallader,  advocate  of  Erie 

Canal,  103 
Colgate  class  of  steamers,  303 
Collector,  sloop,  70 
Colles,  Christopher,  advocate  of  Erie 

Canal,  103 
Collingwood,  on  Georgian  Bay,  262 
Collingwood    Shipbuilding    Company, 

264 
Collingwood,  steamer,  183 
Collins,  J.,  deputy  surveyor  general  of 

Canada,  1788,  quoted,  65 
Columbia  (1809),  70 
Columbia,  fcrr>'  steamer,  199 
Columbiati,  see  Brockville 
Columbus,  steamer,  1 18 
Comet,  steamer,  158,  239 
Commodore,  steamer,  224 
Commodore  Perry,  steamer,  113,  122 
"Compagnie  du  Riciiclieu,  La,"  250 
Concord,  steamer,  158 


"Coney  Island  of  the  West"   (Cedar 

Point),  245,  246 
Constellation,  steamer,  115 
Constitution,  steamer,  121,  122 
Conj'/zi!(/ion,|steamer(Pickands,  Mather 

and  Company's  fleet),  307 
Contractor,  sloop,  see  Somcrs,  sloop 
Cooke,  Jay,  182 
Cooley,  Chief  Engineer  Mortimer  E., 

341  . 

Copper,  discovery  of,  135-137,  lol; 
mines,  159-161;  shipments,  357 

Copper  Harbor,  Lake  Superior,  135 

Corey,  305 

Corliss,  305 

Corliss  class  of  whaleback  barges,  303 

Corona,  303 

Corona,  steamer,  258 

Corrigan,  James,  fleet  of,  307 

Corsica,  303 

Corsican,  see  Picton 

Cortland,  bark,  288 

Coston  light,  used  in  life-saving  ser- 
vice, 319 

Coteau  Rapids,   St.  Lawrence    River, 

25s 
"Cream  City"  (Milwaukee),  237 
Crescent  City,  steamboat,  148 
Crooks,  Ramsay,  134 
Cuba,  steamer,  180 
Cumberland,  steamer,  183 
Cuyahoga,  steamer,  183 

Dablon,  Father,  35 

Dalhousie,  steamboat,  86 

Dallas,  cutter,  162 

Dalton,  John  VV.,  inventor  of  improved 

breeches-buoy,  322,  323 
Daniel  JVebster,  steamer,  113 
Dart,  U.  S.  District  Attorney,  175 
Davenport,  Louis,  195 
Davidson  fleet,  218 
Davidson,  James,  Bay  City  Shipyard 

of,  218 
Davis,  John,  pilot,  93 
Dean  Richmond,  steamer,  162 
Deer  captured  by  crew  of  vessel,  200, 

201 
Delaware,  freighter,  224 
Dcs  Plaines  River  (River  la  Divine), 

21 
Detroit     and     Cleveland     Navigation 

Company,  280,  2S6-291 
Dc'tmit  and  Milwaukee  Railroad,  196 
Detroit  and  Windsor  Ferry  Company, 

198 


INDEX 


367 


Detroit,  Belle  Isle,  and  Windsor  Ferry- 
Company,  199 

Detroit,  British  flagship,  72,  73 

Detroit,  car  ferry,  205,  207 

Detroit  (city),  arrival  of  Walk-in-the- 
Water  at,  95,  96;  first  steamboat 
built  at,  no;  in  1850,  145;  water 
front  of,  in  danger  by  burning 
Windsor,  196,  197;  importance  of, 
in  lake  navigation,  200;  transport 
service  at,  205;  description  of,  234; 
number  of  passengers  entering  in 
one  year,  295;  fire  boats  of,  338; 
Naval  Reserves  at,  339,  340;  few- 
through  freighters  stop  at,  and  mail 
service  to  vessels  at,  343-345. 

Detroit,  ferry,  196,  197 

Detroit  Gazette,  quoted,  95 

Detroit,  lower  strait,  named  by  La 
Salle,  55 

Detroit  River,  area  and  watershed  of, 
22;  receives  waters  of  three  upper 
lakes,  52;  current  of,  189;  tugs  on, 
190;  ferries  on,  195,  203,  204; 
beauties  of,  200,  233;  depth  of 
channel  of,  293;  shipping  passing 
through,  294,  295,  345 

Detroit,  sailing  vessel,  69 

Detroit,  schooner,  106,  125 

Detroit  Shipbuilding  Company,  267 

Detroit,  sloop,  earliest  American  war 
vessel  on  lakes,  71 

Detroit,  steamer,  121,  136 

Detroit,  see  Adams,  brig 

Dewitt  Clinton,  steamer,  115,  141 

Diana,  sloop,  70 

Dolphin,  schooner,  162 

Dolphin,  sloop,  70 

Don  Juan  de  Austria,  training  ship, 

341 

Donnelly's,  John,  crew  of  divers  and 
wreckers,  334 

Doric,  package  freighter,  262 

Dorothea,  training  ship,  341 

Dove,  steamer,  182 

Dubuque,  steamer,  158 

Duchess  of  York,  steamer,  259 

Duke  of  Kent,  Canadian  government 
schooner,  71 

Duluth,  219,  341,  349 

Duluth  Lake  Transportation  Com- 
pany, 182 

Duluth,  steamer,  224 

Duluth-Superior,  236,  350,  351 

Dundas,  Lord,  80 

Dunham,  Capt.,  125 


Dunkirk,  N.  Y.,  145 

Dunmore,  brig,  65 

Dunmore,  schooner  {ijji),  71 

Eads,  305 

Eagle  Harbor,  on  Lake  Superior,  136 

Eastern  States,  steamer,  287 

Eastland,  steamer,  246 

E.  K.  Collins,  steamer,  137 

Eleanor,  schooner,  72 

Elliot,  Capt.,  73 

Elliot,  Lieut.,  71 

Emigrant,  propeller,  130 

Empire  State,  steamer,  118,  148,  158 

Empire  (1844),  steamer,  124 

Empress,  steamer,  259 

Engine,  compound,  first  built  for  lake 
steamboat,  140 

Engines,  walking  beam,  square,  and 
horizontal,  119,  120,  286 

Enterprise  (1769),  64 

Enterprise,  steamboat,  108 

Ericsson,  John,  126,  127 

Erie  and  Western  Transportation  Com- 
pany, 223,  276 

Erie  Barge  Canal,  222,  230 

Erie,  battle  of  Lake,  and  fleets  en- 
gaged, 72-74-  loS 

Erie  Canal,  loi,  103-108,  146,  147, 
229,  310,  358 

Erie,  Fort,  on  Niagara  River,  174 

Erie,  Lake,  discovery  of,  19,  20;  not 
on  early  maps,  20;  area  and  water- 
shed of,  22;  dimensions,  islands, 
level,  and  depth  of,  25;  shallow- 
ness and  storms  of,  26;  called 
"marine  graveyard,"  26;  first  sail- 
ing vessel  on,  after  Griffin,  64;  first 
vessel  to  bear  American  flag  on,  69; 
Walk-in-the-Water  on,  90,  93;  set- 
tlement along  shores  of,  132;  car 
ferries  on,  212,  213;  life-saving  sta- 
tions on,  318;  natural  industrial 
centre  on  southern  shores  of,  351; 
ice  in,  355 

Erie  Packet,  69 

Erie,  Penn.,  292 

Erie,  steamer,  1 18 

Escanaba,  Lake  Michigan,  Naval  Re- 
serves at,  341 

Essen,  fire  boat,  338 

Essex,  steamer,  197 

Essex,  training  ship,  341 

Eternity,  Cape,  Saguenay  River,  257 

Eureka,  barge,  162 

Europe,    first    vessel    making    direct 


368 


INDEX 


clearance  from  Lake  Michigan  to, 

162 
Everett,  P.  M.,  161 
Excelsior,  steamer,  199 
Experiment,  sloop,  70 

Fair  American,  sloop,  70 

Fairmount,  steamer,  259 

Fairport,  steamer,  121 

Faith,  brig,  65 

Favorite,  steamer,  158 

Favorite,  wrecking  steamer,  329-331 

Felicity,  brig,  65 

Felicity,  sloop  (1774),  71 

Fellows,  John,  of  Sheffield,  Mass.,  67 

Fenian  raid  and  invasion  of  Canada, 

1866,  173-175 
Ferries,  193-215 
Ferries,  car,  see  under  Car 
Ferry,  first  horse-power,  193 
Fire  boats,  334-338 
Fire  Queen,  fire  boat,  338 
Fish,  Capt.  Job,  93,  95 
Fitch,  John,  experimenter  with  steam 

power,  78 
Five  Nations,  the,  see  Iroquois  Indians 
Flour  shipments,  349,  358 
Fogs  and  ferry  service,  208 
Forbes,  Capt.,  195 
Foreign  trade,  vessels  in,  162 
Forest  City,  steamer,  288 
Forest  Queen,  steamer,  182 
Fort  William,  Lake  Superior,  349 
Fortune,  ferry,  198 
Foster,  Capt.,  195 
Frank  C.  Ball,  steamer,  306 
Frank  E.  Kirby,  steamer,  245 
Frank   Leslie's  Illustrated  Newspaper, 

quoted,  144 
Frank  Smith,  steamer,  183 
Frankfort  station,  life-saving  service, 

324  . 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  quoted,  77,  78 
Fraser,  L.  B.  and  Donald,  193 
Freight  rates,  106,  107,  114,  116,  117, 
121,   141,   155,   184,   186,   192,  299, 
351-353,356,  359 
Freighters,  schedules  of,  192;    size  of, 
221,  222,  293   et  seq.;    building  of, 
265  et  seq.,  299  et  seq.;  uses  of,  266; 
compared     with     other     types     of 
vessels,  278,  279;  new  types  evolved, 
296-299;    loading  of,  297,  353;    in 
storm,  298,  299;    pleasure  trip  on, 
301;    cost  of,   302;    speed  of,   302; 
trips    made    by,    302;     descriptions 


of,  303-308;  built  under  bonding 
plan,  308;  served  by  mail  boat, 
343-345;  in  ore,  coal,  and  grain 
traffic,  etc.,  347-353,  3S6,  357;  con- 
ditions which  determine  length  of 
season  of,  355 

French  explorers,  missionaries,  and  fur 
traders,  31,  33,  34,  36,  247 

"Fresh-water  tar,"  passing  of,  186 

Frick,  305 

Frick  class  of  freighters,  304 

Frontenac,  Fort,  Cataraqui,  38,  39,  47 

Frontenac,  Governor-General  of  Can- 
ada, 21,  37,  38,  40,  51 

Frontefiac,  steamboat,  88 

Fulton,  Robert,  76,  81-87,  9°,  104, 
105,  126,  309,  310 

Fur  trade,  profits  of,  48;  volume  of, 
in  1833-34,  iio;   on  Lake  Superior, 

133,  134 
Fur  Trader,  sloop,  133 

Gage,  brig  (1772),  71 
Gager,  Capt.  Charles  L.,  131,  132 
Galinee,  maker  of  early  map  of  Great 
Lakes,  20;    his  description  of  Niag- 
ara Falls,  42;   chart  made  by,  54 
Galops  of  St.  Lawrence  River,  254 
Garden  City,  steamer,  158 
Carey,  305 
Gary,   Blasco   de,   experimenter   with 

steam  power,  76 
Gates,  305 

Gazelle,  steamer,  158,  182 
Gem,  side-wheeler,  195 
General  Franz  Sigel,  schooner,  184 
General  Gage,  British  brig-of-war,  64,  65 
General  Harrison,  steamer,  118 
General  Alacey,  steamboat,  116 
General  0.  M.  Poe,  steamer,  305 
General  Porter,  propeller,  130,  131 
General  Porter,  steamer,  113 
General  Scott,  steamer,  121 
General  Simcoe  (1797),  69 
General  Taylor,  steamer,  158 
General  JVayne,  steamer,  115 
General  IVayne,  see  Caledonia,  brig 
Genesee,  schooner,  69 
Geneva  Packet,  sloop,  70 
George  L.  Clinton,  steamer,  182 
George  L.  Dunlap,  steamer,  182 
George  M.  Bibb,  U.  S.  revenue  cutter, 

162 
George  N.  Orr,  steamer,  259 
George  R.  Potter,  fire  boat,  338 
George  fF.  Ford,  schooner,  136 


I 

I 


INDEX 


369 


Georgia,  steamer,  241 
Georgian  Bay,  19,  20,  22,  25 

German,  303 

Gerynanic,  propeller,  262 

Gilchrist,  J.  C,  fleet,  305 

Gladwyn,  schooner  (1763),  64 

Globe,  propeller,  131 

Globe,  steamer,  12 1 

Gold  Hunter,  sloop,  70 

Goliath,  propeller,  131 

Goliath,  steamer,  137 

Good  Intent,  lost  in  1806,  69 

Goodrich,  Capt.  A.  E.,  239,  240 

Goodrich,  A.  E.,  Steamboat  Line,  239 

Goodrich  Transit  Company,  238-240 

Goodrich     Transportation    Company, 

240 
Gopher,  training  ship,  341 
Gore,  steamer,  137,  183 
Government,  to  provide  25-foot  chan- 
nel,   299,     311,    360,    361;     policy 
toward     Great     Lakes,     310,     311; 
means    provided    by,    for   safety   of 
navigation,  311-325;    inspection  by, 
325.  326 
G.  P.  Griffith,  steamer,  121 
Grace  Dormer,  steamer,  202 
Graeme  Steivart,  fire  boat,  336,  338 
Graham  and  Morton  Line,  241 
Grain  trade,  348,  349,  356-358 
Grand  Haven,  car  transport,  211,  212 
Grand  Island,  Lake  Superior,  24 
Grand  Rapids  and  Indiana  Railroad, 

car  ferry  of,  211,  212 
Grand  Trunk  Railway,  180,  205,  211, 

212,  227,  229,  260 
Grand  Trunk  transport  fleet,  205,  211, 

212 
"Grande  Bay,  le"  (Green  Bay),  59 
Granger,  Eli,  69 

Great  Lakes,  geological  history  of,  17- 
19;  discovery  and  naming  of,  19, 
20;  maps  of,  20,  21;  area  and 
drainage  basin  of,  21-23;  super- 
imposed on  Eastern  States,  showing 
relative  area,  23;  calm  and  storm 
on,  33,  34,  41,  209,  214;  supposed 
to  lie  close  to  Pacific  Ocean,  35,  37, 
40;  first  sailing  vessel  on,  54;  nature 
of  early  commerce  on,  63,  103,  106; 
immigration  to  and  permanent  set- 
tlement of  region  of,  65-68,  89,  103, 
107,  114,  117,  118,  132,  135, 144, 145, 
147,  154;  boundary  line  through,  65; 
traffic  on  (1800-1810),  70;  naval 
forces  on  (1750-1812),  70;   St.  Law- 


rence included  in,  86;  inauguration 
and  development  of  steam  naviga- 
tion on,  87,  89, 102, 107, 1 12-1 14,  192, 
217;  pioneer  steamboat  on,  90; 
harbors  on,  94,  103,  124;  eff'ect  of 
canals  upon  traffic  of,  103,  107,  146, 
147,  158,  159,  161,  162,  226-229, 
357-360;  helps  to  mariners  on,  sur- 
veys and  charts  of,  and  measures 
for  safety  of  navigation  on,  108,  109, 
I33~i36,  176,  309-326;  commerce 
on,  114,  115,  121,  123,  132,  133,  135, 
137-141,  145-147,  151-158,  161- 
163,  179,  186-188,  222,  226,  228, 
229,  293,  294,  296,  347-353.  356- 
359;  number  of  vessels  on,  in  1836, 
115;  in  1846,  139,  140;  in  1850, 
146;  in  1857,  158;  in  i860,  178; 
in  1868  and  1873,  183,  184;  at 
present  time,  345;  compared  with 
foreign  fleets,  354;  route  from  New 
Orleans  and  river  towns  to  New 
York  via,  119;  romance  associated 
with,  124,  152,  178;  ice  in,  135,  209, 
214,  355;  influence  of  railway  com- 
petition on  commerce  of,  138,  146, 
153-156,  192,  203,  222;  first  com- 
pound engine  built  for  use  on,  140; 
value  of  exports  and  imports  at 
principal  ports  of  (1850),  145,  146; 
cheap  food  stuffs  made  possible  by, 
151,  152,  346,  347;  scenery  on,  and 
tourist  routes  outlined,  152,  233- 
237,  252-257;  vessels  from,  to  for- 
eign and  U.  S.  coast  ports,  162; 
first  iron  vessel  on,  165;  patrol  of, 
during  Civil  War  period,  172,  173; 
traffic  of,  revolutionized  by  steel 
ships,  181,  303;  "hell-gate"  of,  189, 
234,  360;  first  horse-power  ferry 
on,  193;  navigation  season  on,  229, 
294,  355;  tolls,  none  collected  on, 
229;  passenger  steamer  fleet  of, 
finest  in  world,  232;  head  of  navi- 
gation of,  236;  number  of  passen- 
gers carried  on,  in  one  year,  237; 
Niagara  makes  division  point  on, 
248,  249;  Government  improve- 
ments on,  248,  299,  304,  310,  311, 
360,  361;  maritime  laws  which  con- 
trol Canadian  and  United  States 
shipbuilding  on,  257;  safety  of 
travel  on,  296,  347;  problems  pre- 
sented to  navigator  and  naval  archi- 
tect by,  296-298;  no  sailors  on, 
297;  storms  on,  298;  declared  to  be 


370 


INDEX 


seas,  310;  Na\y  and  Naval  Reserves 
on,  338-342;  place  of,  in  commer- 
cial life  of  nation,  346;  miles  of 
waterway  through,  346;  what  navi- 
gation of,  saves,  347 

Great  Lakes  and  St.  Lawrence  Tran- 
sit Company,  228,  266 

Great  Lakes  Towing  Company's  fleet, 

329 
Great  Northern  Railway,  fleet  of,  224; 

Superior  ore  docks  of,  297;    price  of 

ore  bought  of,  358 
Great  Northern  Transit  Company,  262 
Great  Western,  car  ferry,  205,  207 
Great  Western  Railway,  138,  154-156, 

196 
Great  JVestern,  steamer,  117,  1 18 
Green  Bay,  59,  112 
Greyhound,  steamer,  244,  245 
Griffin,  history   of,  36,  37,  43-45>  47, 

50-62,    112,  193 
Griffin,  steamer  (1890-91),  305 
Griffon,  Le,  see  Griffin,  history  of 

Ha-Ha  Bay,  Saguenay  River,  257 

Hamilton,  barge,  259 

Hamilton,  one  of  oldest  hulls  in  Cana- 
dian waters,  251 

Hamilton  Steamboat  Company,  258 

Hamilton,  steamer,  178 

Hamonic,  262-264 

Hancock,  Lake  Superior,  Naval  Re- 
serves at,  341 

Harbor  Beach  station,  life-saving  ser- 
vice, 324 

Harlequin,  69 

Hart,  Capt.  Asa  E.,  115 

Hart,  Capt.  Fred,  185 

Hartt,  Samuel,  naval  constructor, 
1842,  166 

Hawgood  fleet,  306 

Hawk,  training  ship,  341 

Hawkins,  Capt.  Rufus,  128 

"Hell-gate"  of  Great  Lakes,  189,  234, 
360;   see  also  Limekiln  Crossing 

Hendry k  Hudson,  Hudson  River  boat, 
281 

Hennepin,  Father,  41-43,  45,  51,  55, 
S6,6i 

Henry  Clay,  steamboat,  102 

Henry,  William,  experimenter  with 
steam  power,  76 

Hercules,  propeller,  129,  130 

Hochelaga,  252 

Holland  station,  life-saving  service,  324 

Holland,  steamer,  242 


Homer  Warren  (1863),  189 

"Hookers"  towed  by  steam  barges, 
192,  295 

Hope,  brig,  65 

Hope,  propeller,  same  as  Hope,  steamer 

Hope,  schooner  (1771),  71 

Hope,  sloop,  72 

Hope,  steamer,  197 

Horizontal  engine,  120,  286 

"Horned  breeze"  on  the  Niagara 
River,  93,  193 

Howe,  Capt.,  119,  124 

Hudson  River,  19 

Hudson's  Bay  Company,  volume  of 
business  done  by,  1833-34,  no 

Hunter,  brig,  72,  73 

Huron,  car  ferry,  205 

Huron  Indians,  20,  28,  44 

liuron.  Lake,  discovery  of,  19;  on 
early  maps,  20;  area  and  water- 
shed of,  22;  relative  area  super- 
imposed on  Eastern  States,  23; 
level  and  depth  of,  25;  dimensions 
of,  25;  billows  on  western  shore  of, 
33;  La  Salle  on,  56;  settlement 
along  shores  of,  132;  lumber  trade 
on,  289;    life-saving  stations  on,  318 

Huron,  schooner,  124 

Huron,  steamer,  239 

Huron,  steamer  (iron),  180 

Huron,  steamer  (1874),  180 

Huronic,  steamer,  263 

Hutchinson  freighters,  307 

Ice  affects  ferry  service,  198,  202,  206- 

209,  214 
Idleu'ild,  steamer,  181 
Ignace,   Isle  of   (Michipicoten),   Lake 

Superior,  24 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  147 
Hlinois,  fire  boat,  338 
Illinois,  Lac  (Lake  Michigan),  57 
Illinois,  naval  militia  of,  338,  341 
Hlinois,  steamer,  116,  118,  137,  159 
Hlinois,  steamer  (1899),  238 
Immigration  routes,  66,  68,   103,  114, 

117,  118,  145-147;  cessation  of,  154; 

shipbuilding  encouraged  by,  217 
Independence,  propeller,  130,  135 
India,  steamer,  180,  223 
"Indian,"  origin  of  name,  27 
Indian  tribes,  in  Great  Lakes  country, 

28;  habit  oflife  of,  28,  29 
Indiana,  steamer,  1 18 
Indiana,  steamer  (Goodrich  line),  241 
Indiana  Transportation  Company,  24a 


INDEX 


371 


Indians  astonished  by  vessels,  53,  57, 

90,  96 
Industry,  69 

Inman,  Commander  William  P.,  168 
Innes,  Capt.,  196,  197 
Inspection  of  vessels  by  Government, 

325,  326 
International,  transport,  205 
Invincible,  184 
Ionic,  package  freighter,  262 
Iowa,  steamer,  241 
Iron  City,  steamer,  158,  l8l 
Iron  Duke,  steam  ferry,  194 
Iron   mines   and   shipments,    161;   see 

Ore  trade 
Iron  propellers,  180 
Iron  ships,  139,  165,  166,  178-181,  194, 

217,  223,  265  et  seq. 
Iron  Sides,  steamer,  182 
"Iron  steamer"  (Michigan),  168 
Iroquois,  259 

Iroquois  Indians,  20,  28,  38,  43,  46,  65 
Iroquois,  Lake,  18,  19 
Iroquois,  steamer,  227 
Island  Queen,  steamer,  172 
"Island  Route"  from  Detroit,  245 
Isle  Royal,  Lake  Superior,  24,  160,  333 
Ivanhoe,  side-wheeler,  182 

Jackson,  Charles  T.,  U.  S.  geologist, 

161 
Jackson  Company,  i6i 
Jackson  Mountain,  l6l 
Jacques  Cartier,  steamboat,  250 
James  Battle,  fire  boat,  338 
James  Beard,  ferry-boat,  202 
James  Crouch,  schooner,  185 
James  H.  Reid,  wrecking  steamer,  334 
James  Madison,  steamer,  115,  118 
James  Monroe,  steamer,  121,  122 
James  R.  Elliott,  fire  boat,  338 
James  JVatt,  steamer  (steel),  305 
Japan,  steamer,  180,  223 
Jay  Cooke,  steamer,  182 
Jefferson,  iron  propeller,  177 
Jefferson,  Thomas,  quoted,  106 
Jemima  (1798),  69 
Jenking,  Capt.,  207 
Jesuit  Relations,  map  in,  20;  extracts 

from,   concerning    copper    deposits, 

159-161 
/.  L.  Ilurd,  steamer,  182 
John  Ericsson,  steamer  (steel),  305 
John  Jacob  Astor,  sailing  vessel,  134 
John  Kenzie,  brig,  125 
John  M.  Hutchinson,  fire  boat,  338 


John  Sherman,  steamer,  182 
Joliet,  19,  21 
Joliet,  steamer,  305 
Jones  and  Laughlin,  307 
Jones'  shipyard,  Cleveland,  124 
Joseph  Jefferson,  steamer,  113 
Joseph  Medill,  fire  boat,  336,  338 
Jouffroy,    Marquis    de,    experimenter 

with  steam  power,  76 
J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  steamer,  294 
Julia  Barnes,  schooner,  185 
Julia  Palmer,  steamer,  122,  136 
Julius  D.  Morton,  steamer,  121 
Julius,  steamboat,  141 
Juniata  (1905),  223,  263,266-268,  270, 

276 
/.  tV.  Brooks,  steamer,  146 

Kansas,  steamer  (1870),  238 
Kate  Winslow,  schooner,  334 
Kearsarge,  steamer,  307 
Keil,  Louis  O.,  264,  281 
Keller,  Daniel,  inventor,  79 
Kentucky,   shipments  from,   in   1845, 

via  the  lakes,  147 
Kewaunee,  Wis.,  210 
Keweenaw  Bay,  134 
Keweenaw  Point,  135,  136 
Keweenaw,  steamer,  182 
Keystone  State,  steamer,  1 19 
Kimball,  Sumner  I.,  317 
King  Edward,  steamer,  264 
Kingston,  steamer,  252,  253 
Kirby,  Frank  E.,  264,  281 
Kline,  Capt.  John,  124 
Krupp,  305 

Lac  la  Belle,  181 

Lachine  Rapids,  255 

Lady  Charlotte  (1770),  64 

Lady  Dorchester,  yi 

Lady  Elgin,  steamer,  181 

Lady  of  the  Lake,  steamer,  146,  195 

Lady  Prevost,  brig,  72,  73 

Lady  Sherbrooke,  steamboat,  87 

Lady     Washington,     see     Washington, 

schooner  (1798) 
Lafayette,  steamer  (steel),  305 
Lake  Breeze,  steamer,  182 
Lake  Carriers'  Association,  353 
Lake    Michigan    Car    Ferry    Transit 

Company,  211,  212 
Lake  Shore  system,  148,  154 
Lake  transports,  203,  208-2 10,  214 
Lakeside,  steamer,  246 
La  Motte,  41,  43 


372 


INDEX 


Landsdowne,  car  ferry,  205,  207,  208 

Lanman,  Mr.,  quoted,  24 

L'Anse,  on  Lake  Superior,  136 

La  Pointe,  Lake  Superior,  63 

La  Ronde,  builder  of  first  sailing  vessel 

on  Lake  Superior,  63 
La  Salle,  21,  35-48,  50-60,  62,  63,  112, 

193 
La  Salle,  steamer,  305 
Launching,    description    of,    274-276, 

278,  279 
Lawrence,  brig,  73 
Le  Caron,  Recollet  friar,  19,  20 
Lee,  Capt.  William,  69 
Lehigh,  propeller,  181 
Lehigh,  steamer,  223 
Lehigh  Valley  Railway,  225 
Lehigh  Valley  Transit  Company,  225 
Leslie^s  {Frank)  Illustrated  Newspaper, 

quoted,  144 
Levi  Rawson,  schooner,  184 
Lexington,  steamer,  121 
Life-saving  service  and  stations,  311, 

317-325 
Lighthouses,  lightships,  etc.,  109,  311- 

317 
Limekiln  Crossing,  234,  311,  343,  360 
Linden,  steamer,  333 
Little  Belt,  sloop,  73,  74 
Little  Erie,  steamer,  121 
"Little  Venice"  (St.  Clair  Flats),  235 
Livingston,  Robert  R.,  78,  83,  84 
Livingstone  Channel,  311 
Loading  freighters,  methods  employed 

in,  297,  353 
Locomotive,  first  brought  to  Chicago, 

transported  on  sailing  vessel,  153 
London,  steamer,  137 
Long  Point,  54 

Long  Sault,  St.  Lawrence  River,  255 
Lorain,  shipbuilding  at,  351 
Lotus,  184 

Louisiana,  steamer,  118,  119 
Louisville,  steamer,  146 
Luc,  pilot  of  La  Salle's  Griffin,  56,  57, 

60 
Ludington,  Mich.,  210 
Lumber    and    forest    products    trade, 

i88,  349,  350,  359 

Mackinac  boat,  34 
Mackinac  Island,  233,  234,  340 
Mackinac,  Straits  of,  25,  202,  211,  314 
Mackinac   Transportation    Company, 

211,  212 
Madaline  (1837),  135 


Madeira  Pet,  162 

Mahoning,  steel  ship,  223 

Mail  boat,  Detroit  River,  343-345 

Maine  (1862),  189 

Maitland's  wharf  (Robert),  Toronto, 

194 
Majestic,  propeller,  262 
Malsham,  steamboat,  87 
Manhattan,  propeller,  131,  136 
Manistee,  steamer,  182 
Manistique,    Marquette,    and   Northern 

No.  I,  car  transport,  211,  212 
Manitoba,  steamer,  183,  260 
Manitou  Island,  Lake  Superior,  beacon 

light  on,  136 
Manitou,  steamer,  238 
Manitou  Steamship  Company,  238 
Manitowoc,  Wis.,  210 
Manoir  Richelieu,  Murray  Bay,  252, 

256 
Mansion  House,  Buffalo,  99 
Maps  of  Great  Lakes,  20,  21 
Marengo,  schooner,  124 
Marine  architecture,  advance  in,  216, 

248,   296,   298,   299,   300;  passenger 

steamer  example  of,  231;  types  of, 

232;  early  specimens  of,  239 
Marine  post  office,  Detroit,  343-345 
Alarion,  sloop,  70 

Marquette,  21,  28,  33,  35,  37,  57,  112 
Alarguette  and  Bessemer  A'o.  i  and  No. 

2,  car  transports,  212,  213;  (No.  2) 

299 
Marquette-Bessemer  Dock  and  Navi- 
gation Company,  212 
Marquette,  on  Lake  Superior,  136 
Martha  Ogden,  steamer,  108 
Mary  and  Friends  Good  Will,  schooner, 

72 
Mary  Groh,  wrecking  steamer,  334 
Masters,  tug,  190 
Maunch  Chunk,  225 
May  Flower,  steamboat,  141,  142,  146, 

156 
May,  James,  69 
May  Queen,  steamer,  288 
May/lower,  ferry-boat,  259 
McDougall,  305 

McDougall,  Capt.  Alexander,  219 
McFadden,  Capt.,  115 
McGee,  William,  constructor  of  steam 

whistle,  131 
McGregor,  Capt.,  208 
McHarry,  Capt.  11..  125 
Mcintosh,  Capt.  Alc.x.,  133 
McKay,  Capt.  Alex.  J.,  286 


INDEX 


373 


Membre,  Zenobe,  Franciscan,  28 
Merchant,  propeller  (1861),  179 
Merchant,  schooner,  136 
Merchants-Montreal  Line,  259 
Mesaba  Range,  opening  of,  219 
"Mesippi"  (Mississippi  River),  19 
"Messasipi"  (Mississippi  River),  21 
Meteor,  steamer,  18 1 
Metropolis,  steamer,  182 
Michigan,  battleship,  U.  S.  N.,  164 
Michigan,  car  ferry,  205,  207 
Michigan  Central,  car  ferry,  205 
Michigan   Central   Railway,   lake  line 
operated    by,    141,    155,    156,    288; 
transport    fleet    of,   196,  205,    206; 
traffic  of,   how  handled  at  Detroit 
River,  203,  204 
Michigan,   gunboat   {Wolverine),    164- 

169,  171-177,  287,  340 
Michigan,    Lake,   exploration   of,    19; 
area  and  watershed  of,  22;  relative 
area  superimposed  on  Eastern  States, 
23;  only  one  of  Great  Lakes  wholly 
within  U.  S.,  25,  318;  level  and  depth 
of,  25;  dimensions  of,  25;  harbors  on, 
124;  settlement  along  shores  of,  132, 
145;    first    vessel    to    make    direct 
clearance  to  Europe  from,  162;  car 
ferries  on,  210-212;  traffic  on,  210; 
length   of   coast   line   of,   318;   life- 
saving  stations  on,  318 
Michigan,  peninsula  of,  not  shown  on 
early  maps,   20;   shown  on   French 
map,  21;   La  Salle's  explorations  in 
lower,  35;  see  Michigan  (State) 
Michigan,     schooner     (first     double- 
decked),  185 
Michigan  (State),  recovered  by  U.  S. 
through  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  74;  ad- 
mitted  to   Union,    107;   population 
of  (1850),  144;  built  Sault  Ste.  Marie 
canal  and  locks,  159;  Mormon  king- 
dom within,  169;  products  of  forests 
of,  188;  faces  on  four  lakes,  318;  life- 
saving  stations  on  shores  of,   318; 
naval  militia  of,  338-341 
Michigan,  steamer,  110-112,  146,  158 
Michilimackinac  Island,  57 
Michipicoten,    Isle    of    Ignace,    Lake 

Superior,  24 
Midland,  propeller,  262 
Midland  Tow  and  Wrecking  Company, 

334 
Miller,  Major  Frederick,  193 
Miller,     Patrick,    experimenter    with 

steam  power,  77 


Miller,  Pilot  William  T.,  99 
Milwaukee,   112,   210,   237,   239,   338, 

350 
Mikvaukee,  steamer,  113 
Milwaukee,  steamer  (Western  Transit 

Line),  224 
Mikvaukee,  see  Vandalia,  propeller 
Mineral  Rock,  steamer,  183 
Mink,  schooner,  72 
Minnesota  Naval  Brigade,  341 
Mission,  first  in  northwest,  19,  20,  35, 

S6 
Missisaga  (1792),  68 
Mississippi  River,  19,  21,  37,  62,  63 
Mississippi,  steamboat,  149,  157 
Missouri,  schooner,  125 
Missouri,    shipments    from,    in    1845, 

via  the  lakes,  147 
Missouri,  steamer,  118,  119 
Missouri,  steamer  (1904),  238 
Mitchell  and  Company  fleet,  306 
Mitchiganing  des  Illinois,   Lac   (Lake 

Michigan),  exploration  of,  19 
Moffat,  tug,  190 
Mohawk,  71 
Mohawk  (1893),  224 
Mohawk,  ferry-boat,  198 
Mohawk  River,  18,  104 
Molson  boats  on  St.  Lawrence,  250 
Monarch,  steamer,  261,  333 
Montezuma,  barge,  218 
Monticello,  propeller,  136 
Montreal  (period  of  1678),  41 
Montreal,  steamer,  250,  251 
Montreal,  steamer  (new),  255,  256 
Montreal  Transportation  Compny,  259 
Morey,    Samuel,    experimenter    with 

steam  power,  79 
Morgan   class   of   freighters,    304;    see 

also   J.    Pierpont   Morgan,  steamer, 

294 
Morgan,     see    J.     Pierpont     Morgan, 

steamer 
Mormon  colony,  Beaver  Island,  Michi- 
gan, 169-172 
Morning  Star,  steamer,  240,  288 
Morris,  Gouverneur,  advocate  of  Erie 

Canal,  103 
M.  S.  Bacon,  184 
Muncy  (1902),  223 
Murney,  Capt.,  69 
Murray  Bay,  steamer,  256 
Muskanungee,    of   ante-Revolutionary 

period,  64 
Mutual  Transit  Company,  224 
Myrtle  M.  Ross,  wrecking  steamer,  334 


374 


INDEX 


Nancy,  69 

Nancy,  sloop,  72 

Nancy,  see  Niagara,  sloop 

Napoleon,  schooner,  136 

Napoleon,  steamer,  250 

Nashville,  training  ship,  341 

Nautilus,  Robert  Fulton's    "torpedo," 

82 
Naval  Reserves,  338-342 
Navigation,  season  of,  229,  294,  355; 

means  to  insure  safety  of,  311-326; 

former  insecurity  of,  313 
Navy  on  Great  Lakes,  338-342 
Neagel,  69 
Neptune,  brig,  124 
New  England,  steamer,  115 
New  Hampshire,  steamer,  146 
'New  Orleans,  steamer,  121 
New   Swiftsure,  steamboat,  87 
New  York  Central  Lines,  154 
New  York,  naval  militia  of,  338 
New  York,  propeller,  130 
New  York,  steamer,  121 
Newberry,  Oliver,  no,  116,  134 
Newberry,  Truman  H.,  339 
Niagara  escarpment,  18 
Niagara  Falls,  21,  26,  42,  248 
Niagara  fort,  key  to  lakes  fur  trade,  46 
Niagara  Navigation  Company,  258 
Niagara,  of  Perry's  fleet,  73,  74 
Niagara  Patriot,  quoted,  97 
Niagara  portage,  transfer  of  goods  at, 

70,  226 
Niagara  River,  21,  22,  26 
Niagara  River  islands,  possession  of, 

66 
Niagara,  sloop  (1804),  72 
Niagara,  steamer,  108,  118,  119,  178 
Niagara,  see  Columbia  (1809) 
Nicollet,  Jean,  explorer  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, 19 
Nile,  steamer,  115 
Norman,  steamer,  183 
North  America,  steamer,  113 
North  Lake,  225 

North  Land,  steamship,  232,  233,  236 
North  Sea,  225 
North    Shore    Navigation    Company, 

262 
North  Star,  steamer,  137,  149,  181 
North  Star  (1909),  225 
North  West,  steamship,  232,  233,  236, 

263 
North  JVind,  225 

Northern  Indiana,  steamboat,  148 
Northern  Islander,  weekly  paper  pub- 


lished by  Mormon  colony,  Beaver 

Island,  170 
Northern  King,  225 

Northern  Light  (Mutual  Transit  Com- 
pany), 225 
Northern  Light,  steamer,  158,  181 
Northern     Michigan     Transportation 

Company,  238 
Northern  Navigation  Company,  260, 

262 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  fleet,  224 
Northern  Queen,  225 
Northern  Steamship  Company,  232 
Northern    Transportation    Company, 

146 
Northern  Wave,  225 
Northerner,  steamer,  137 
Northwest,  steamer,  182,  240,  288,  289 
Northwest  Transportation  Company, 

260,  262 
Northwest,  unknown  (period  of  1669), 

35 

Ocean,  steamer,  146,  161,  288 
Oceanica,  steamer,  334 
Ogarita,  schooner,  184 
Ogden,  Francis  B.,  127 
Ogdensburg,  propeller,  142,  143 
Ogdensburg,  steamer,  146 
"Ohio  fur,"  106 
Ohio  River,  21 

Ohio  (State),  naval  militia  of,  338,  341; 
(northern)  natural  industrial  centre, 

351 

Ohio,  steamer,  121 

Olive  Branch,  scow,  195 

Oliver  Newberry,  steamer,  113 

Omar  D.  Conger,  steamer,  202 

Oneida,  brig,  72 

O'Neill,  Col.,  174 

O'Neill, ,  operated  ferry  at  Black 

Rock,  193 

Onondaga,  armed  schooner,  71 

Ontario,  car  ferry,  205 

Ontario,  Lake,  discovery  of,  19;  nam- 
ing of,  21;  area  and  watershed  of, 
22;  level  of,  below  Lake  Erie,  26; 
length  of,  26;  commerce  on,  68; 
inauguration  of  steam  navigation 
on,  87,  89,  128;  Canadian  commerce 
on,  249;  life-saving  stations  on,  318 

Ontario,  lost  witii  172  lives  in  1780,  71 

"Ontario  ou  dcs  Frontenac,  Lac" 
(Lake  Ontario),  21 

Ontario,  propeller,  128,  162,  260 

Ontario,  schooner,  72 


INDEX 


375 


Ontario,  steamboat,  87,  88 
Ontonagon,  on  Lake  Superior,  136 
Ontonagon,  steamer,  183 
Ore  carriers,   192,  219,  220,   293-297, 

299-304,  348,  351-353;  docks,  297; 

trade,  347,  34^,  .351-353,  357,  358; 

processes   and    time   to    make   steel 

from,  353 
Oregon,  clipper  ship,  140 
Oscoda  (1878),  189 
Oswego,  propeller,  128 
Ottawa  River,  20,  255 
Ottawa   River  Navigation  Company, 

259 
Ottawa,  steamer,  195 
Otter,  sloop,  69 
Owana,  steamer,  244,  245 
Owens,  Capt.,  125 


Pacific,  brigantine,  162 

Pacific  Coast  lumber,  359 

Pacific,  steamer,  182 

Package  freight,  350,  357 

Paddle-wheels,  experiments  with  and 
use  of,  77-80,  83,  84,  88,  III,  112 

Panama  Canal  locks,  360 

Papin,  experimenter  with  steam  power, 
76 

Paragon,  steamboat,  86 

Parkman,  quoted,  32,  33 

Passenger  rates,  98,  117,  121,  122,  141, 
145,  250,  354 

Passenger  steamer,  modern  type  of, 
231,  232,  279,  295,  354;  cost  of  oper- 
ation of,  354 

Paxton,  Capt.,  69 

P.  C.  Sherman,  184 

Peacock,  Col.,  174 

Pearl,  steamer,  182 

Peerless,  steamer,  183 

Peggy,  schooner,  69 

Pelee,  Point,  54,  233 

Pelee,  Point,  lightship,  316 

Peninsula,  propeller,  136 

Peninsular  Packet,  horse-power  ferry, 

^94  .     ^    . 

Pennsylvania,  freighter  (wooden).  266, 

267 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  223 
Pennsylvania,  steamer  (1835),  113 
Pere  Marquette,  car  transport,  212 
Pere  Marquette  fleet  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan, 210,  211,  212;  on  Lake  Erie,  213 
Pere  Marquette  No.  14,  car  ferry,  205 
Pere  Marquette,  No,  16,  No.  17,  No.  iS, 


No.  IQ,  No.  20,  car  transports,  210, 

212 
Pere  Marquette-Wabash  transport,  205 
Perkins,  305 

Perry,  Commodore,  73,  74 
Perry's  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  see  Erie, 

battle  of  Lake 
Perseverance,  British  vessel,  72 
Pewabic,  181 

Phil  Sheridan,  steamer,  182 
Philadelphia,  steamer  (1868),  179 
Philo  Parsons,  steamer,  172,  173 
Phcsnix,  propeller,  130 
Phoenix,  steamboat,  78 
Pickands,  Mather  and  Company  fleet, 

307,  338 

Picton,  251 

"Pictured  Rocks,"  near  Grand  Island, 
Lake  Superior,  24 

Pig  iron,  production  of,  358 

"Pigs,"  219 

Pilots,  development  of  skilled,  109 

Pioneer,  steamboat,  107 

Pirogue,  Indian  dugout,  29 

PittsburgSteamshipCompany, 302,  348 

Planet,  steamer,  158,  240 

Pleasure,  steamer,  199 

Plough  (also  spelled  Plow)  Boy,  steamer, 
137,  183 

Plymouth  Rock,  steamer,  156,  157,  240 

Poe,  Gen.  O.  M.,  315 

Pointe  aux  Barques,  Naval  Reserves 
at,  340 

Polly,  sloop,  69 

Pontoon  system  employed  in  recover- 
ing wrecks,  332,  333 

Porcupine,  schooner,  73 

Port  Arthur,  248,  349 

Port  Huron,  Mich.,  236 

Port  Huron  Wrecking  Company,  333 

Porter,  Barton  &  Co.  transfer  line  over 
Niagara  portage,  70 

Ports  of  the  world,  comparison  be- 
tween, 237 

Postoffice  Department's  service  to 
vessels,  343-345 

Prairie  State,  steamer,  146 

Prescott,  252 

Primrose,  ferry-boat,  259 

Prince  filbert,  steam  ferry,  194 

Prince  Edward  (1800),  69 

Princeton,  frigate,  128,  191 

Princeton,  propeller,  130 

Privatt  Brothers,  194 

Privatt,  Louis  J.,  194 

Promise,  steamer,  199 


376 


INDEX 


Propellers,  126-131,  135,  14O,  146,  155, 

158,  163,  178,  217,  286 
Propellers,  iron,  180 
Provident  Steamship  Company,  307 
Puritan,  steamer,  242 

Quebec,  barge,  259 
Quebec,  propeller,  260 
Quebec,  steamer,  251 
Quebec,  steamer  (1865),  179 
Quebec,  steamer  (new),  255,  256 
Quebec  ist,  steamboat,  87 
"Quebec  Mercury,"  quoted,  87 
Queen  Charlotte,  73 
Queen  Charlotte,  brig,  125 
Queen  City,  steamer,  119,  l8l 
Queen  of  the  Lake,  steamer,  158 
Queen  of  the  West,  steamboat,  149 
Queenstown,   Ontario,    Indian   village 

on  site  of,  45 
Queenstown,  steamer,  108 

"Rabbits,"  188,  192,  295 

Races  between  steamers,  122,  123,  141, 
240,  250 

Racine,  propeller,  130 

Racine  Reef,  315 

"Railroad  boats,"  189 

Railroads  interested  in  and  in  compe- 
tition with  lake  traffic,  see  under 
Great  Lakes 

Rapids  du  Plat  of  St.  Lawrence  River, 

254 

Rapids  King,  steamer,  254 

Rapids  Queen,  steamer,  254 

Rates,  combinations  to  control,  I2I, 
122,  141,  190 

Read,  Nathan,  experimenter  with 
steam  power,  78 

Recovery,  schooner,  72 

Red  Jacket,  steamer,  121 

Reed  Line,  119 

Reid  Wrecking  Company,  334 

Reliance,  wrecking  steamer,  334 

Rescue,  steamer,  183 

Rice,  R.  N.,  288 

Richelieu  and  Ontario  Navigation 
Company,  179,  195,  249-252,  256, 
257,  286 

Richelieu  Steamboat  Company,  178 

Richelieu,  steamer  (iron),  177 

River  and  harbor  improvements.  Gov- 
ernment, 360;  see  also  under  Gov- 
ernment 

River  transports,  203,  204 

R.  N.  Rice,  steamer,  288 


Robert  Burns,  full-rigged  brig,  185 

Robert  Fulton,  Hudson  River  boat,  281 

Robert  Fulton,  steamer,  115 

Robert  Fulton,  steamer  (steel),  305 

Robert  Holland  (1872),  189 

Robinson,  Capt.,  106 

Rochester,  steamer,  115,  131,  132 

Rochester,  steamer  (Richelieu  Com- 
.  pany),  258 

Rockefeller  interests  in  whaleback 
company,  219 

Roebling,  305 

Rogers,  30s 

Rogers,  Capt.,  99 

Roman,  303 

Rome,  steamer,  224 

Roosevelt,  Nicholas  J.,  experimenter 
with  steam  power,  78,  83 

Roosevelt,  see  Theodore  Roosevelt,  ex- 
cursion steamer 

Rosed  ale,  259 

Rosemount,  steamer,  259 

Royal  Charlotte  (1764),  64 

Rumsay,  James,  experimenter  with 
steam  power,  78 

Rush-Bagot  Treaty,  1817,  338 

Russell,  Dr.,  195 

Russia,  steamer,  180 

Rutland  Transit  Company,  228 

Safety,  of  lake  travel,  296,  326,  347; 
of  navigation,  means  to  insure,  311- 
326 

Sagima,  69 

Saginaw  (1866),  189,  288 

Saginaw  Bay,  Lake  Huron,  25,  340 

Saginaw,  brigade  of  Naval  Reserves 
recruited  at,  340 

Saguenay  River,  252,  256,  257 

Sailing  vessels,  history  and  evolution 
of,  35;  first  one  on  lakes,  54  {see 
Griffin,  history  of);  first  on  Lake 
Superior,  63;  first  on  Lake  Erie, 
after  Griffin,  64;  importance  of, 
about  1844,  124;  number  of,  in 
1846,  140;  in  1857,  158;  in  i860, 
178;  in  1868,  183;  passing  of,  185- 
187,  217 

Sailors,  number  in  1846,  140;  duties 
of,  on  board  Wolverine,  175,  176; 
replaced  by  engineers,  etc.,  297; 
present  and  past  duties  and  pay  of, 
342,  343;    number  of,  345 

St.  Bernard,  Alexander,  pilot,  168,  169 

St.  Clair  Flats,  235 

St.  Clair,  Lake,  22,  25,  55,  234 


INDEX 


377 


St.  Clair  River,  area  and  watershed  of, 

22;    described    by    Hennepin,    56  ; 

current  of,  189;   as  seen  by  traveller, 

234-236 
St.  Clair  ship  canal,  293 
St.  Francis,  see  Long  Point 
Saint  Ignace,  car  transport,  21 1,  212 
St.  Ignatius,  mission  of,  57 
St.    Irenee   {Canada),  steamer   (1866), 

180,  256 
St.  James,  Beaver  Island,   Michigan, 

170,  171 
St.     Lawrence    and    Chicago    Steam 

Navigation  Company,  259 
St.  Lawrence  River,  22,  65,  86,   194, 

225,  232,  247,  249,  250,  252,  254-257 
St.  Lawrence,  steamboat,  149 
St.  Louis,  Lake,  255 
Saint  Louis,  steamer,  118,  182,  288 
Saint  Marie,  car  transport,  211,  212 
St.  Mary,  mission  of,  35 
St.  Mary's  River,  area  and  watershed 

of,  22;    fall  and  rapids  at  head  of, 

24,  25,  132,  133;    depth  of  channel 

of,  293 
St.  Mary's  River  canal  and  locks,  138, 

357-360 
St.  Paul,  steamer,  182 
St.  Peter  Navigation  Company,  251 
Salina,  schooner,  72 
Salt,  commerce  in,  188 
Salvage  of  stranded  or  disabled  ves- 
sels, 327-334 
Sam  Flint,  184 
Sam  Ward,  side-wheeler,  136 
Sampson,  propeller,  130 
Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  steamer,  304,  305 
Samuel  Ward,  steamer,  288 
Sandusky,  steamer,  115 
Sanilac  (1867),  189 
Santiago,  steamer,  307 
Sappho,  steamer,  199 
Saranac,  225 
Saratoga,  steamer,  121 
Sarnia  and  Lake  Superior  Line,  260 
Sarnia,  Ont.,  236 
Saronic,  steamer,  263 
Satellite,  tug,  190 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  canal  and  locks,  158, 

159,  161,  311,  358,  360 
Savannah,  schooner,  125 
Saxon,  303 
Schooners,  in  1836,  115;  in  1846,  140; 

in   1850,    145,    146;    traffic  in,    155; 

three-masted,  184;    passing  of,  185, 

2l8;   converted  into  tows,  187 


Schuyler,  Philip,  advocate  of  Erie 
Canal,  103 

Schuylkill,  steel  ship,  223 

Scorpion,  of  Perry's  fleet,  73 

Scotia,  schooner,  185 

Screw  propeller  type  of  vessel,  126-131 

Sea  Bird,  steamer,  182 

Seneca,  225 

Seneca  Indians,  43,  44,  46 

Sheboygan,  steamer,  241 

Sheldon  Thompson,  three  -  masted 
steamer,  108 

Shenango  No.  i,  car  transport,  213 

Shenango  No.  2,  car  transport,  212,  213 

Shipbuilding,  details  of,  253,  265-277, 
300-302;   largest  centres  of,  351 

Side-wheelers  supplanted  in  some  lines 
by  propellers,  131,  217,  286;  devel- 
opment and  use  of,  286,  287 

Siemens,  305 

Sill,  Nathaniel,  of  Black  Rock,  90 

Simms,  Capt.  John,  124 

Single-screw  type  of  vessel,  129;  see 
also  Screw  propeller  type  of  vessel 

Siskowit,  schooner,  136 

Sloops  and  scows,  number  in  1850,  146 

Smith  Transit  Company,  L.  C,  307, 

"Societe  de  Navigation  du  Richelieu, 
La,"  249,  250 

Somers,  sloop,  72,  73 

Sophia,  sloop  (1795),  68 

Sorel,  on  St.  Lawrence  River,  194 

South  Chicago,  lumber  market,  3  50 

South  Haven,  steamer,  242 

Southern  Michigan,  steamboat,  148 

Southerner,  steamer,  121,  141,  287 

Sovereign,  steamer,  260 

Spanish-American  War,  Naval  Re- 
serves saw  service  in,  339,  340 

Spartan,  see  Belleville 

Spectacle  Reef,  314,  315 

Speedwell,  69 

Speedy  (1804),  69 

Split  Rock  Rapids,  St.  Lawrence 
River,  255 

"Square  engine,"  120 

Squaw  Island,  53 

Stackhouse  and  Tomlinson,  ship- 
builders, of  Pittsburg,  166 

Stanard,  Capt.  Charles  C,  134 

Stanard's  Rock,  Lake  Superior,  134 

Stanard's  Rock  Light,  134,  315 

Standart,  Asa,  108 

Standish,  Capt.  F.  D.,  341 

Star,  steamer,  121 


37^ 


INDEX 


"State  Canal,"  159 

State  of  New  York,  291,  292 

State  of  Ohio,  291,  292 

Steam  engine,  development  of,  126,  140 

Steam,  era  of,  191,  217 

Steam  propulsion  of  vessels,  experi- 
ments in,  75-83,  92,  126-129,  286 

Steam  whistle,  invention  of,  94,  116, 
131,  132 

Steamboats,  type  of,  75;  in  1836,  115; 
cost  of  operating,  120;  crew  of ,  120, 
121;  in  1846,  140;  on  Buffalo- 
Chicago  route  in  1850,  145;  on 
Great  Lakes  in  1850,  146;  improve- 
ments in,  after  1850,  148;  loss  in 
traffic  of,  155;  too  large  for  traffic 
offered,  157;  in  1857,  158;  in  i860, 
163,  178;    types  of,  239 

Steamer  No.  15,  Steamer  No.  17, 
Steamer  No.  23,  fire  boats,  338 

Steel  canal  boats,  229,  230 

Steel,  conditions  which  influence  price 
of,  357,  358;  processes  and  time  em- 
ployed in  making,  353 

Steel  vessels,  modern,  165,  181,  219, 
222,  265  et  seq.,  299,  303 

Stevens,  John,  experimenter  with 
steam  power,  78,  83,  127 

Stockton,  Robert  F.,  127 

Storms,  298 

Storrs,  Gen.  Lucius,  99 

Straits  between  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron, 
described  by  Hennepin,  55 

Strang,  King,  and  his  colony,  169-171 

Submarine  boat  invented  by  Robert 
Fulton,  82 

Sugar  Island  Park,  245 

Suitayia  class  of  steamers,  306 

Sultana,  steamer,  121 

Sunbeam,  steamer,  158,  239 

Superior  (1905),  224 

Superior,  Lake,  discovery  and  naming 
of,  19;  explored  by  friars,  20;  area 
and  watershed  of,  22;  streams 
emptying  into,  23;  relative  area 
superimposed  on  Eastern  States,  23; 
clearness  and  temperature  of  waters 
of,  24;  level  of,  24;  depth  of,  24; 
shores  of,  24;  fall  of  waters  of,  at 
head  of  St.  Mary's  River,  25;  first 
sailing  vessel  on,  63;  La  Pointe, 
port  on,  63;  development  of  com- 
merce on,  132,  133;  surveys  and 
charts  of,  first,  133;  first  sailing 
vessel  built  and  launched  by  Ameri- 
can* on,  134;   inauguration  of  steam 


navigation  on,  135,  136;  propellers 
adapted  to,  135;  effect  of  discovery 
of  copper  on  commerce  of,  135; 
settlements  on  (1845),  136;  rocky 
shores  and  beacon  lights  of  (1845), 
136;  first  side-wheeler  on,  136; 
merchant  marine  on  (1846-1850), 
136;  life-saving  stations  on,  318; 
wrecks  on,  333;    ice  in,  355 

Superior,  on  Lake  Superior,  136 

Superior,  steamboat,  lOi,  102 

Superior  No.  2,  steamer,  121 

Susan  Ward,  steamer,  182 

Swallow,  schooner,  136 

Swan,  69 

Swan,  steamer,  121 

Swenie  Dennis,  Jr.,  fire  boat,  338 

Swiftsure,  steamboat,  87 

Symington,  William,  experimenter  with 
steam  power,  79-81 

Syracuse,  propeller,  130 

Syracuse,  steamer,  224 

Tableau,  Le,  Saguenay  River,  257 

Tadousac,  252,  256 

Tadousac   Hotel,    Saguenay    and    St. 

Lawrence  Rivers,  252,  256 
Taiaigon,  Indian  village  near  Toronto, 

41 
Tashmoo  Park,  235 
Tashmoo,  steamer,  244,  245,  287 
Tasmania,  see  James  Crouch,  schooner 
Tate  Brothers,  250 
Tecumseh,  steamer,  121,  137 
Teiocharontiong  des  Erie,  Lac  (Lake 

Erie),  discovery  of,  19,  20 
Telegraph,  steamboat,  87 
Terrebonne,  steamer,  180,  252 
Thames,  schooner,  72 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  excursion  steamer, 

242,  243. 
Thirty  Thousand  Islands,  260,  262 
Thompson,  Capt.  John,  125 
Thousand  Islands,  254 
Three  Rivers,  steamer,  180,  252 
Three-masted  steamer,  first  on  lakes, 

108 
Tigress,  schooner,  73 
Tionesta  (1903),  223 
Titus,  Capt.  t.  ].,  122 
Toledo,  Naval  Reserves  at,  341 
Tolls,  canal,  abolished,  229 
Tomlinson  fleet,  306 
Tonawanda,  N.  Y.,  350 
Tonty,  41,  44,  47,  50,  52,  55,  58-60, 

62,  193 


INDEX 


379 


Toronto,  41 

Toronto  Ferry  Company,  259 
Toronto,  steamer,  108,  252,  253 
Torpedo    boat    Invented    by    Robert 

Fulton,  82 
Torrance  boats  on  St.  Lawrence,  250 
Tourists,  what  lakes  oflfer  to,  152,  233- 

237,    252-257,    260,    354;     increase 

in  number  of,  240 
Tows,  use  of,  186,  187,  188,  221 
Tracy,  schooner,  71 
Tramp  ships,  140,  218,  228,  348 
Transfer,  car  ferry,  205 
Transport,  car  ferry,  205,  207 
Transports,  see  Ferries 
Traveler,  steamboat,  158 
Treaty   of  Ghent   and   U.    S.-Canada 

boundary,  66 
Treaty  of  Paris  established  boundary 

between  U.  S.  and  Canada,  65 
Treaty,  Rush-Bagot  (1817),  338 
Treaty,  Webster-Ashburton,  see  under 

Webster-Ashburton 
Trinity,  Cape,  Saguenay  River,  257 
Trippe,  sloop,  72,  73 
Trowbridge,  Capt.  Elias,  109 
Troy  (1899),  224 
Troy,  canal  boat,  108 
Troy,  steamer,  121 
Tug  boats,  189,  190,  328 
Tunnelling  straits  or  rivers  connecting 

Lakes  Huron  and  Erie,  203 
"Turret"  ships  of  Canada  Lake  and 

Ocean  Navigation  Company,  259 
Tuscarora,  225 
Twin-screw   type  of  vessel,    129;     see 

also  Screw  propeller  type  of  vessel 

Unadilla,  schooner,  184 

Uncle  Tom,  schooner,  136 

Undine,  see  Alliance,  ferry 

Union,  first  merchant  brig  on  Great 

Lakes,  89 
Union,  see  Niagara,  steamer 
Union  Navigation  Company,  251 
Union  Steamboat,  and  Atlantic,  Du- 

luth  and  Pacific  Lake  Company,  182 
Union  Steamboat  Line,  224 
United  Empire,  steamer,  261 
United,  ferry,  195 
United  States,  excursion  steamer,  243, 

244 
United  States  Lighthouse  Board,  312 
United  States,  steamer,  109,  no,  115 
United  States  Steel  Corporation,  220, 

302»H7,  352,  358 


United  States  Transit  Company,  306 
"Upper      lakers"      (Buffalo  -  Chicago 

liners),  119 
Uiica,  steamer,  224 


Vandalia,  propeller,  128 
Van  Rensselaer,  Col.,  69 
Van  Rensselaer,  Stephen,  advocate  of 

Erie  Canal,  103,  104 
Varnished    bottom,    experiment   with, 

184 
Vermilion,  steamer,  121 
Vermont,  steamer,  146 
"Vessels"  of  early  historians,  64 
Victoria  Bridge,  194,  255 
Victoria,  steam  ferry,  198 
Victoria,  steamer,  194 
Victoria,  steamer    (La    Compagnie   du 

Richelieu),  250 
Victoria,   steamer   (Pickands,   Mather 

and  Co.  fleet),  307 
Victory  (1764),  64 
Virginia,  steamship,  241 
Virginia,  see  Tadousac 
"Voyage    of    Capt.    Richard    Lode," 

quoted,  48,  49 
Vulcan,  first  iron  vessel,  165 


Wabash  and  Erie  Canal,  147 
JValk-in-the-Water,  steamboat,  90-101, 

193 

Walker,  Gen.,  quoted,  66 

Walking  beam  engine,  119,  120,  286 

Walpole  Island  Indians,  235 

Ward,  Capt.  E.  B.,  136,  161,  239,  240 

Ward's  Central  and  Pacific  Lake  Com- 
pany, 182 

Washington,  George,  advocate  of  Erie 
Canal,  103. 

Washington  Island,  112 

Washington,  schooner  (1798),  69 

Washington,  steamer,  113 

Washington  No.  2,  steamer,  113 

Waterloo,  steamer,  121 

Watt,  James,  y6,  126 

Waubic,  262,  263 

Waubuno,  steamer,  183 

Wauketa,  steamer,  244 

Wayne,  Fort,  near  Detroit,  234 

IF.  D.  Mathews,  steamship,  259 

Webster-Ashburton  Treaty,  1843,  66 

IFelcome,  brig,  65 

Welland  Canal,  219,  226-229,248,  258, 
264,  358 


38o 


INDEX 


Wellington,  brig,  133 

Wells  Burt,  schooner,  185 

West  Mount,  steamer,  259 

Western  Metropolis,  steamer,  157 

Western  States,  steamer,  287 

Western  Trader,  schooner,  125 

Western  Transit  Line,  224 

Western  World,  steamer,  156,  157,  240 

W.  F.  P.  Taylor,  steamer,  113 

Whalebacks,  219-221,  240,  295,  303 

Whitaker,  Capt.  Harry,  149 

White    Fish    Point,    Lake    Superior, 

beacon  light  on,  136 
White  Fish,  schooner,  136 
White  oak  used   in  shipbuilding,   91, 

217,  218,  288 
White  Star  Line,  235,  244,  245 
Whitefish  in  lakes,  162 
Whittemore,  Capt.  C,  125 
W.  H.  Smith,  freighter,  333 
Widener,  305 
Wild  West  show  on  ferry  imprisoned 

in  fog,  208 
Wilkes  Barre,  225 
Wilkes,  Gilbert,  340 
Wilkeson,  Capt.  David,  122 
Wilkeson,  Judge  Samuel,  loi 
Wilkins,    Fort,    see    Copper    Harbor, 

Lake  Superior 
William  Brewster,  schooner,  135 
William  Home,  steamer,  334 
William  Peacock,  steamboat,  108 
William  Penn,  steamboat,  108 
William  Rudolph  (1880),  189 
William,  etc.,  see  Wm.,  etc. 
Wilson,  Thomas,  shipbuilder,  165 


Wilson  Transit  Company  fleet,  307 

Windsor  and  Lake  Superior  Line,  260 

Windsor,  steamer,  195-197 

Winslow,  Benjamin,   107 

Winslow,  steamer,  182 

Wisconsin  State,  population  of  (1850), 
144;  naval  militia  of,  338,  341 

Wisconsin,  steamer,  113,  1 18,  146 

Wissahickon  (1907),  224 

Wm.  E.  Reis,  steamer,  334 

Wm.  G.  Mather,  steamer,  307 

Wm.  Nottingham,  freighter,  333 

Wolverine  (formerly  Michigan),  gun- 
boat, 164,  166,  176 

Wood,  Capt.  John,  135 

Wood  fuel  used  by  steamboats,  97, 
120,  130 

Wooden  ships,  139,  178,  i8i,  185,  217- 
219,  267,  288 

Wreckers,  and  methods  employed  in 
salving  wrecks,  327-334 

Wright,  Richard,  builder  and  com- 
mander of  the  Angelica,  64 

W.  S.  Gratton,  fire  boat,  338 

Wyandotte,  brig,  65 

Wyandotte,  sloop  (1779),  71 


Yantic,  training  ship,  341 

Yonkers,  steamer,  224 

York,   merchantman   and   ship-owner, 

68 
Yosemite,     cruiser,     manned     during 

Spanish   War   by   Michigan   Naval 

Reserves,  339,  340 
Yosemite,  fire  boat,  338 


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